Teach Me How To Love
by Andiiwamp
Summary: Emily Fields ran away from Rosewood years ago to chase the love of her life. Back then she was friends with a five year old Paige who was left broken and lost when Emily left. Now, ten years later Emily returns back to Rosewood carrying a dark secret. Also she'll be the new history teacher of the Rosewood high where she'll meet again a certain brunette that will change her life...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Have you ever heard about that 'new year new me' stuff? Well that's what is happening here, I am truly sorry for deleting my stories but I needed a break.**

 **Anyways, I'm feeling amazing now with lots of energy and ideas so I decided that the best way to start this year was to re-upload this story. I hope you guys enjoy it and if you're new here, then welcome :)**

 **And also this story is dedicated to GirlFromGermany, thanks for being so awesome!**

 **Your reviews and follows are more than welcomed :)**

Chapter 1: Coming home

Emily Fields was definitely not a morning person; and as the alarm beeped nonstop she buried her face on the pillow mumbling incomprehensible words as she refused to fully wake up. It was early, really early in the morning; it was still dark outside and Emily whished that she could sleep for the rest of the morning.

She raised her head finally and looked at the clock; it was four thirty in the morning… too early for her; she yawned as she rubbed her eyes sitting on the bed, if she lied back again she will probably fall asleep and that was the last thing she needed. She turned off the alarm finally and stood up slowly stretching out her tired body.

Emily walked around the room as she checked on her things, trying to not forget anything important; she had been preparing her suitcases and all her bags for the past two weeks, since she received the good news so she pretty much just had to change into her clothes, grab her passport and her wallet and call a taxi.

But despite the fact that she was excited to start this new journey and that she was happy to finally moving on after all the suffering, she had a pang of sadness running through her body; she walked around her small apartment looking at each room and each surface; she had lived so many things there, that apartment had been her home for the past three years and even though she had a bunch of sad, terrible memories, she had a lot of good ones, and she felt like she was leaving an important part of her life there in California.

Finally after that small tour around the apartment she changed quickly into some comfortable clothes since she had to do a long way and then she picked up her stuff; grabbed her suitcases and her bags and looked behind one more time before opening the door.

The place looked so empty right now without all the books, paintings, and pictures; it seemed just like an empty apartment where no one lived; she took a deep breath and smiled softly.

"Goodbye" She said in a whisper as she exited the house.

The sky was still dark; and the streets were mostly lonely, people must be sleeping at this time; Emily sighed as she waited on the street; she could be sleeping too if she wasn't going to do this crazy journey she was about to do, but even though she was tired as hell, this was something she needed to do; she needed this new start.

The air was a bit cold and Emily regretted immediately not putting a coat on, it was just the cold air of the morning, probably in a couple of hours the hot air and the sun will come back but she regretted not having her coat since she had to wait in the middle of the street.

She looked around and eyed the long, now empty street; she was used to it, she was used to hear the cars and ambulances, all the people that passed every day; she just was so used to the neighborhood that she was missing it already.

She stood there for another couple of minutes until she finally saw the taxi that was coming to pick her up.

A short man with a big moustache that covered his mouth exited the car and helped her with all her bags; now that Emily was in the taxi finally, she realized that was she was doing was real, she had been dreaming about it for so many days that now that she was actually doing it; it seemed unreal.

She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes for a while as the driver drove her to the airport; she had at least half an hour to sleep or at least rest her eyes.

The ride was shorter than expected; there wasn't so much traffic as it used to be and they arrived to the airport in record time; by the time Emily hopped out the car the sun was starting to appear in the sky and the air was a bit warmer than before.

The man helped her again with her bags and after she paid him the taxi disappeared in the streets of California.

Emily stood at the entrance of the airport for what it seemed like ages; she looked around once again taking in the sights and breathing the air of the city, she didn't know when she would be doing that again; at least in California.

It had been her home for the past nine years; it wasn't just like she had been there for a month or for holidays; she had spent an important part of her life there and now it was time to go but it was still sad, and she definitely was going to miss it so much.

The airport was almost empty; it was a little past five now and it seemed like people just chose to fly at some decent hours; Emily actually felt glad and relieved about the fact that there weren't many people there.

She hated to be in places crowded by people; she didn't like long queues and noisy kids and parents, she preferred the silence and the quietness that she had now.

She went to the check control and waited for the officers to look at her bags and register her; it didn't took long so finally when she got rid of her bags after half an hour of waiting she entered a small waiting room where she had to stay until the gates were opened.

This brought her some memories of her childhood; she wasn't a big fan of planes and she rarely did some trip but she remembered the first time she took a plane.

It was back when she was fifteen, a long time ago, she sighed at the memory and smiled, now she was twenty eight; definitely a long time had passed since then, but the memory was still fresh and she could remember perfectly every detail of it.

Like today; it was early in the morning when she and her mom arrived to the Texas airport thirteen years ago.

It was a warm day of summer, the sky was still dark and Emily was tired as hell since she couldn't sleep so much at night; her mom walked fast around the building looking for the correct checking area as she held their passports in her hands; Emily followed her from behind trying to follow her pace but it was pointless since Pam was almost running.

They were going to start a new life, after all what had happened in the past year finally they were going to have a fresh start, and maybe things could work out for them this time.

Emily couldn't remember a time where she hadn't been as nervous as that moment when they finally sat on the plane to wait; her mom swallowed a sleeping pill with the help of some water and passed out a few minutes later.

The feeling of starting something new was scary and kind of exciting; Emily wasn't a talkative person, she was mostly shy and it was hard for her to meet new people and now she was about to be in a new town, with a bunch of new people and places.

She swallowed hard and looked through the window of the plane as she thought about her life in Texas.

It had been her home ever since she was born; her mom gave birth to her in her grandad's ranch since she didn't have time to arrive to the hospital, it had been a really fun event; they even appeared in the local news and after that; her father asked her mom to marry him and they bought a small house.

Those were the times when everything was okay and life seemed to be good for everyone; and Emily grew up happy and oblivious to a lot of things until she was old enough to understand some things and started to hear her parents argue almost every day; and her dad going out to drink and come back drunk as hell.

So now, after Pam grew up some courage to leave her husband, they were about to start a new life this time for good…

The sound of the intercom startled her and dragged Emily out of her thoughts and memories; she listened for a moment and heard how a voice called the passengers to enter the plane and take their seats.

This was it, same as she did when she was fifteen and she was nervous about a new life; there she was again, taking her seat in the plane as she waited for it to start the fly so she could start a new life again, maybe this time she could make things right, or at least different.

She leaned her head against the seat and looked around the plane; the inside was big, bigger than the one she took back when she was fifteen; there were a few people already sat and a couple more entering the door.

The air hostesses were talking at the end of the plane waiting for the people to get ready and there was a soft music playing on the background as if it was a hotel elevator.

Emily swallowed the massive lump in her throat and closed her eyes for a second; the only thing that felt different about that time thirteen years ago was the fact that she was alone this time. She didn't have her mom to tell her that everything was going to be okay; even though she slept for the whole flight after that, she didn't have anyone right now to tell her that everything was going to be okay…

She eyed again the plane trying to see if they were ready to start, but it seemed that they were going to have to wait a bit more; so she slid her hand in the right pocket of her jeans and took a small picture from it.

Emily looked at it and a strange feeling settled in her chest as she remembered the day she took that photo. There was a girl on it, a bright ginger girl with long hair that fell perfectly creating waves around her face, she was smiling softly as she held her thumps up to the camera; it had been a great day when that photo was taken Emily thought as she looked at the picture with watering eyes.

She sighed deeply and blinked a few times to stop the tears she knew were about to fall and then she cleared her throat; everything was over now, it was over and there was no going

back.

She took the picture between her hands and broke it in pieces as she clenched her teeth with anger; if she wanted to start her new life she had to forget the past and move on, so that meant destroy any kind of memory of it.

The pieces of the picture fell to the floor and Emily breathed relieved as she looked up to check if they were ready.

The rest of the passengers were now sat on their seats ready to start the flight and then after a couple of seconds an air hostess stepped in the front of the plane and started to tell the instructions.

Emily didn't even bother to listen to her this time; she remembered the instructions well and she just looked through the window as she heard the woman talk.

The flight went on without incidents; the only thing that drove the passengers out of their nerves was a baby on the second row that started to cry ten minutes after the flight started and won't stop for the next two hours. Emily put her earphones on after listening to the incessant cry for a couple of minutes and put on some loud music as she read a book.

That was what she did for the rest of the time; at some point, she didn't really remember when; she fell asleep, her head against the window and her book resting against her legs.

She didn't fell asleep the first time she went on a flight; actually she couldn't even relax even if she tried to, she remembered trying to read or doing something to keep her mind distracted for a while; her mom was fast asleep next to her, her mouth wide opened as she snored soundly, the sight was kind of funny, but now Emily had no one to talk to, so the only thing she could do was to sleep… or read.

Finally after a few hours someone started a movie in the small TV at the front of the airplane; Emily didn't even remember the name of the movie but at least it helped her to distract her mind a bit until they finally landed…

The sound of the intercom interrupted her dreams once again; Emily opened her eyes startled and rubbed he eyes lightly as she looked around confused. She didn't know how much time she had been passed out, actually she didn't know what time it was, but now the captain was asking the passengers to sit and put the seat belts on.

Emily looked around one more time and saw the rest of the passengers taking place on their seats; there was a sudden silence in the plane; the air hostesses were in their seats as well on the back of the plane; so Emily finally put her seat belt on and closed her eyes when she felt the plane starting its way down.

When the plane finally opened the door, the people started to make its way to take their bags and go home finally; Emily stood there for a second, she exited the plane and walked to opened gates of the airport; she looked at the big 'Welcome to Philadelphia' letters that were at the top of the building and then she went straight to pick up her stuff.

It was around midday; the airport of Philadelphia was starting to get crowded and she had to walk fast to not get lost there in the middle of the people. Until finally she arrived to the front door where she found a big poster with her name held by a tall guy that was waving his hand frantically at her.

"Emily!" He shouted to catch Emily's attention. Emily looked at him and smiled brightly as she walked to him.

She placed her bags on the floor and hugged him tightly as she laughed, she couldn't believe that this was real; that she was finally here after all what happened.

"I'm so happy to see you" He said as they shared one last hug

"Me too, it's been so long" Emily said as she grabbed her bags once again

"Let me help you" He said politely "How was your flight?"

"Exhausting" Emily said as they walked outside "I might need to sleep for a week to recover for all the stress I've been these past month"

"Wow, I didn't realize a small trip to Philadelphia was going to end up with Emily Fields" He said jokingly

"You took one month of holydays when you arrived here remember?" Emily asked

"Yeah, but I had the rest of the summer free my friend, you start work in a week"

"I have missed you so much Ezra…" Emily said as they arrived to the car. Ezra stopped for a moment and gave her a small smile that she returned shyly; it seemed like after all these years it was lie nothing had happened.

"Me too" He said softly "I'm glad you decided to come here"

Emily looked around before entering the car; the next step was to go to the final destination; Philadelphia was just the first stop, just because the airport was there, but now it was the interesting part: Rosewood.

Emily enjoyed the view through her window as they drove to the town; Ezra put some music and started to sing and talk about his life; three years had passed since the last time they saw each other, and so many things had occurred in that time, so he took his time telling Emily about his projects and 'adventures' as he said, Emily just leaned back on her seat and listened to him.

Ezra Fitz was a really talkative and fun person, and even though a lot of time had passed he looked still the same, he seemed like a young adult male wearing shirts and bow tires… it seemed like time didn't affect him.

Emily could remember perfectly the day she met him; it was back in California when she finally found her first job after college; she had been through a massive depression before that and Ezra was one of the few people that helped her get better and find a new start.

They got a long almost immediately and after the first week they started going out every weekend; he was a cool guy, really comprehensive and they went through a lot together until he finished his internship that same year and went out of California to find a more stable job.

It was funny how in such a short time, they got to be the best friends ever; actually he was in California for just a year but they started a really nice friendship, so Emily felt really sad and alone after he left.

And now there were they; after a long time, sitting in Ezra's car, listening to music, and talking about their lives just as they did in the old times.

The drive wasn't too long; Rosewood was just a few miles so they arrived there sooner than expected, and as they approached the destination Emily felt a pang of sadness, happiness and something else she didn't understood in the pit of her stomach.

"We're here, home sweet home" Ezra said as they exited the car. He opened the trunk to grab the bags and suitcases so he didn't noticed Emily's expression.

13 years ago

"We're here ladies" The taxi driver said happily as he stopped the car in front of the new house.

"Emily" Pam said waking Emily up "Em!" She repeated. Emily opened her eyes and realized that the car had stopped which meant that they were in their destination finally.

"I'll help you with the bags" The man said exiting the taxi and walking to the trunk.

Pam opened the door and walked outside with a bright smile on her face as she looked at the house in front of them.

"I'm so happy about this" She said covering her mouth with her hands. Emily stood next to her trying to seem as excited as her mother. "Aren't you happy Emmy?" Pam asked with watering eyes "Aren't you?" She repeated

"Uh yeah" Emily said eyeing the house "I am…"

"We are going to be so happy here! I can see it, no more arguments, and no more alcohol… no more crying" Pam said

"Alright ladies, I left the bags on the porch" The man said dragging Emily and Pam out of the dreams; he extended his hand to receive the money and then he left happily probably to pick up his next client.

Pam and Emily walked to the porch to grab the bags; Pam was visibly happy, she seemed to be a complete new person now; and Emily was happy about it, she was tired of seeing her mother cry at nights and being stressed and depressed 24/7; but also she wondered how she was going to be able to fit in a new town, and how she was going to be able to start again in a place where she didn't know anyone.

"Come on Emmy!" Pam beamed happily as she opened the door "Home sweet home" She added

"Yeah… home" Emily mumbled grabbing her bags and entering the house

Present day

"Home…" Emily whispered as she eyed the street. This was so different to the first time she arrived there; first of all, the first time she arrived to a nice calm neighborhood full of small houses with gardens and kids playing on the streets; and second her mom was there to spread happiness and good feelings and love.

Now even though Ezra was there to spread the good feelings too, it wasn't the same; Pam was probably in her house doing something or maybe she was outside who knew…

Emily wondered how her mother was; it was something she did every day, she sat in her bed at nights before going to sleep and thought about Pam; she tried to imagine what she would be doing, maybe she still liked cooking as much as she liked it when Emily was a kid; or maybe she found love again… maybe she moved to a new house… those questions filled Emily's mind every day but she didn't know the answers.

The second thing was that now they weren't in a small, calm neighborhood; they were right in the center of Rosewood; there were buildings and shops, lots of people… it was really different.

"I hope you don't mind the place" Ezra said apologetically as they walked through the street "It was the only thing I could find in such a short time" He said

"It'll be fine" Emily answered

The Rear Window Brew was a small cafeteria placed in the center of Rosewood; thirteen year ago it was even smaller and its owner was an old man that seemed to be mad all day that hated kids and rarely let Emily and her friends go there.

Now it was a completely different place; it was still a small cafeteria but it was completely changed, the design was different it was painted in a new green color with lights outside and nice tables; it seemed like a really nice place.

Emily took her time observing it with an amazed look; somethings change for the better, she thought as she smiled softly.

"So, let's meet your new place" Ezra said looking in his pocket for the keys.

Emily looked at the cafeteria and looked at Ezra and then she realized something as he opened the door.

"This is it?" Emily asked curiously as she watched Ezra entering the door next to the cafeteria

"Yep" Ezra said "I told you I couldn't find something better" he added.

They walked into the small building, and the first thing they noticed was the sweet smell of bakery, probably coming from the Brew. And the next thing they noticed was that there was no elevator there, so they had to carry all the bags upstairs.

"And this is the last one" Ezra said wiping some sweat droplets from his forehead as he placed the bag on the floor "Finally" He said proudly

"I'm totally loving this place" Emily joked as she reached for the keys to open the door.

"Don't worry, if you don't like the place you can totally look for some other flat or house near here, the owner make you a contract until December so once it's finished you're free to move" Ezra said

"Maybe I will" Emily said smiling as they entered the place.

It was a small apartment; actually the correct word to define the place was studio, it was a small studio with one big living room, really well decorated and giant windows that allowed a lot of light to enter the place and offered a nice view of the town, the rest of the place was a small kitchen next to the living room, a bathroom with a nice big tube and a bedroom with a king size bed and once again big windows and obviously a room with a desk in the middle probably a nice place for Emily to work.

She sighed deeply as she eyed the place; it wasn't that bad actually, she was still used to her apartment in California but it wasn't that bad at all, she could get used to it for the moment; it was perfect to start a new life.

"What do you think?" Ezra asked when he finished entering the bags. Emily turned around and looked at him with a smile

"I like it" Emily said simply

"Really?" He asked

"Yeah, it's nice and not so far from work so… thank you" Emily said

"That's why I chose this place, it was near Rosewood high and it's warm and nice" Ezra commented looking around

"Thanks" Emily repeated "But not only for this… I wanted to thank you for helping me so much this time… for offering me the job and everything; it means a lot to me" She said

"You don't have to thank me anything Em" Ezra said approaching her "We're friends and I am here to help you, or for whatever you need" He said

Emily nodded lightly and hugged him tightly for a while; she felt her eyes watering and did an effort to avoid the tears; she didn't want to start crying again.

But she was really glad of this opportunity she was having; she had a new job in a 'new' town and had the chance to meet new people so maybe this was what she needed to change her life finally and start fixing things up.

"Okay" Ezra said as they pulled apart "I am so glad to have you here… and we totally have to hang out as we did in the past, but I have to go" He said apologetically

"It's okay" Emily said

"Really? I thought you might need company" He said

"I'm fine Ezra, actually I could use some time alone to place my stuff, and think and maybe sleep a bit" Emily said smiling

"Okay, but just call me if you need anything" Ezra said seriously "You have my number"

"Thanks" Emily said

Ezra walked outside and once Emily heard the door she sat on the couch and let out a deep sigh; she looked around once more and closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to think what to do next; she was tired, she could use some sleep, but also she didn't want to wait too long to start placing her things…

"This is it" She said in a whisper

This was real; finally she left her life in California and after all this time she was back in Rosewood; this wasn't the way she wanted things to go, but at least she left all her troubles back in California, now she had a new start.

She let out a sob and after a ling week of avoiding her feelings she allowed herself a few moments to cry; a couple of tears feel down her cheeks and after that she was crying without restrictions as she thought about her life.

The image might seem ridiculous; she was alone, sitting in her living room crying and sobbing desperately (alone) as she thought about all the mistakes she made in her life while all her bags lied on the floor waiting to be opened. But there she was; alone.

She laughed a bit as she wiped her tears and looked around the living room, this wasn't the way she wanted her life to go, but at least now she had the chance to make things right…

The laughter died in her lips and she stood up finally wiping the rest of her tears with the back of her hand.

"Let's do this" She said out loud as she grabbed the first bag.

She had sent a couple of boxes last week with some of her stuff; some paintings and pictures; also all her books were there already; Ezra didn't know where to place them so he left the boxes piled on a corner and all the pictures were on the table.

Emily approached the pictures and eyed them for a brief moment; she loved to have pictures around her, they were memories, moments of her life that were trapped on a photo that could last for a long time so she loved it.

She put on some music and stood in the middle of the living room stretching out her tired body and took a moment to sing a bit of the song; then she started to unpack her suitcases.

They say that you don't know how much things you have until you have to pack them, or something like that; and Emily really had no idea of how many things she actually had.

Starting for clothes; she had tones of clothes, she had two big suitcases completely full of clothes; summer clothes, winter clothes… she spent a couple of hours placing everything in the closet and the drawers.

And then she started to place all the books on the shelves and all the paintings on the wall; she pretty much tried to unpack as much as she could that day so she just had a couple of boxes left with some decorations and maybe some trophies or something; she could unpack those other day.

It was nearly seven when she finally finished and she found herself once again sat on her couch looking around; she was proud of her job; now she could say that the place was definitely hers, now that her stuff was all over the apartment.

She sighed deeply and stood up after a moment; now that she was a bit settled down it was time for a little walk around the town.

It had been a long time since she was there so she wanted to see how much Rosewood changed while she was away; or if it didn't change at all.

Emily grabbed her keys and exited the building with decision and curiosity, now that she was there finally she was starting to feel a slight happiness for the first time in years; it was like the old time when she had nothing to worry and she was just happy to have all her friends and family with her and nothing else mattered.

She took her time walking and checking every spot of the town she remembered; it was weird to see new buildings and new faces all around, but she liked it, it was as if she was rediscovering the town, and it was really interesting.

Her steps finally took her to a very familiar neighborhood; she slowed her pace as she took in the sights and then she sighed deeply when a strange feeling came over her; this was the place where she spent the last part of her childhood; she remembered exactly every single thing she lived there, since the moment she and her mom arrived there to when she met the girl who ended up being her best friend… she remembered a lot of things and all the memories hit her really hard when she walked through the street.

She walked a few houses and wondered if there were still the same families living there; she never asked about them, so she didn't know if her friend were still living in Rosewood…

And then after walking a bit she arrived to a really familiar house; she stopped right in front of it and looked at the door for a moment.

The exterior wasn't really changed, it seemed a bit older but it was still as she remembered it. Then she looked at the windows to check if there was some activity inside; there was a car parked in the garage so that meant that Pam was in the house.

Emily smiled sadly at the memory of that car; her mom bought it a month after they moved there; when she finally started working and she realized that she needed a car.

That year changed Emily's life, but it seemed like that change opened the door to other changes to hit her life constantly; because after that, even if her life seemed to be taking the right way; she completely lost herself; and that was something she was going to regret for the rest of her life.

She walked around the house and stopped when she spotted some movement inside; she approached a small window on the back of the house and looked through it carefully.

The view made her stomach twist and her heart ache; this was something she hadn't seen for so many years that she completely forgot that image.

Pam was in the kitchen; she was wearing blue jeans and a red sweater that made her look younger; she actually seemed to be in pretty good shape. Emily looked at her for a long moment and observed every movement she made.

She was cooking something; probably dinner, and she was putting a lot of effort into it; actually she seemed to be preparing dinner for two people; Emily ran her gaze along the kitchen and spotted the table, there were two plates, and two glasses…

She never thought about that possibility… had Pam met someone? It wouldn't be so strange, after all she had all the right to move on with her life.

Emily sighed deeply once again as she thought about everything; it had been nine years since the last time she saw her mom; since the last time she saw Rosewood; she just disappeared one day… so she didn't know how to enter everyone's life again, it wasn't so easy as it seemed.

She was still engrossed in her thoughts when she accidentally stepped with some plants that were on the way. It wasn't something relevant but it made some noise and that seemed to startle Pam.

Emily noticed that Pam stopped the cooking and looked in her direction; so she immediately moved to the side and tried to find some place to hide.

She heard Pam's steps and in the last moment she ran to a tree near her and hide behind it trying not to make much noise.

"Hello?" Pam said curiously opening the window. Emily covered her mouth trying to hold back a sob… this was the first time in nine years that she heard Pam's voice. Pam repeated the question and then she just muttered a small 'It must've been a cat' as she closed the window.

Emily let out a sigh of relieve when she heard her mom closing the window again and started to walk back to her house.

This was going to be really complicated; how was she supposed to do this? She couldn't just knock on the door and say hi after all this time; or maybe that was exactly what she had to do; maybe she just had to go there and see what happened, but she felt so guilty for running away the first time that she thought that it was impossible for Pam to forgive her…

One of the things that kept her in California was that she was really scared of facing her mom and the people in Rosewood; she hurt them so bad by running away without explanations and now that she was back it was going to be complicated.

After her walk around the town she realized that it was kind of late; she went to the grocery shop to buy some food and then she went to her new apartment where she ordered a pizza and ice cream.

She could think properly with her stomach full; and maybe she could think properly tomorrow after a few hours of sleep.

She raised her glass of wine to the air and looked around the living room as she smiled; she might feel like shit with all the confusing feelings inside of her but today was still a really important day in her life.

"Happy birthday Em" She said "Twenty eight fucking years" She said before taking a big sip

"Twenty eight years… and I'm still as lost as when I was fifteen…" She said sadly

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! I just wanted to say thank you guys for your amazing response! I'm so happy to know that you still like the story, I know you already read this but be patient, I'm going to post a chapter every day so you don't have to wait so long to read the same and then I'll post the new chapters I have already written so hope you enjoy the journey :)**

 **Your reviews are more than welcomed!**

Chapter 2: Reconciliations

 _13 years ago_

"Are you going to eat that?" Pam asked to a mouthful of food as she eyed Emily's plate with a concerned look. Emily placed her fork on the table and sighed deeply as she looked at her plate still full of spaghetti.

"I'm not hungry" She said simply looking at the table.

Pam placed her fork on the plate and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at Emily; they had been only a couple of days in the new house and she noticed that her daughter was not eating properly.

"You are not eating lately" Pam said. Emily raised her gaze and shrugged her shoulders.

"I am not hungry" Emily repeated nonchalantly. Pam sighed deeply as she rubbed her temples. She knew that this wasn't going to be easy; Emily was a really hermetic person, so that meant that she didn't use to talk about her feelings and now that they took a huge step in their lives it was a mystery for Pam what Emily was thinking.

Emily obviously wasn't good; she was struggling with the new town thing and being the new girl and that stuff and obviously the fact of leaving her father back in Texas wasn't exactly easy for her but the thing was that she was just swallowing all her pain and not talking about it was clearly affecting her, even if she say the opposite.

"You can't spend the rest of your life without eating" Pam said "Em it's been four days since we're here and you have barely eaten"

"I will eat when I'm hungry" Emily said standing up abruptly as she slammed her fists against the table. Pam looked at her startled and with a pang of sadness in her face.

After that Emily just walked away without saying anything; she left the kitchen and walked upstairs slamming the door of her room. She lied on her bed facing the wall and started to cry silently, something she had been doing a lot lately…

Pam walked upstairs slowly and stood in front of Emily's door not knowing what to do; she was alone now, with a teenage daughter that seemed to be experimenting some kind of depression or something like that and she didn't know what to do; she couldn't help Emily if she was still hurt from all the suffer they went through back in Texas.

So she leaned her head against the door and listened to Emily's sobs for a few minutes; this was something that seemed to be normal now since they were there; all the arguments and tears. She left Texas and her husband with the hope that maybe they could be happy finally but it clearly wasn't working.

A tear escaped her eyes and she wiped it quickly; she was going to start work in a few days and she was terrified of leaving Emily alone in the house; she didn't want her daughter to be locked inside all day, Emily was going to start school in a week so she had to find some kind of solution to help her.

* * *

 _Present day_

It was some point late in the morning when Emily opened her eyes; at first a sudden confusion came to her when she didn't recognize the place where she was sleeping. But after looking more intently and rubbing her eyes a couple of times she realized that she was on the couch.

And then when she sat and stretched her sored body a bit she remembered that she was in her new apartment in Rosewood… she wasn't in California anymore.

The first thing she noticed was how uncomfortable that couch was; it wasn't a good idea to sleep there after all. And then she noticed the mess next to her; apparently she just fall asleep without noticing it because she didn't even threw the pizza box to the trash.

This was something kind of unusual; she was used to her sleeping pills, it was something she started to take a few years ago, after her first break up and even if she got over it finally these past year she had needed a lot of sleeping pills to be able to sleep for a few hours.

But last night she must have been really tired if she just fall asleep without any help; she stood up slowly and rubbed her eyes one more time as she yawned; the sun was bright which meant that it was late, she was used to a certain routine, and she used to sleep only until seven in the morning when she woke up and started her day.

Now that she had a few free days until classes started she had to get used to sleep a bit more or maybe change the routine for a while.

Teaching hadn't been her dream exactly when she was a kid; being a teacher wasn't something she wanted more than anything, but here she was now… Emily grabbed her big framed diploma that said that she was a formal teacher and that she was allowed to teach secondary and college level and placed it on the wall in the room that had a desk.

Now it seemed like she had a proper office in her own house; the diploma gave the room a special touch, as if she was a real professional even though she only had a few years of experience.

Her dream as a kid was to be an archaeologist; she wanted to work in places like Egypt, South America… maybe China… she just wanted to travel around the world and discover new things; and then when she grew up and that dream ended up in the trash, she thought about the possibility of working in a museum.

So her dream ever since she was seventeen was to be working in a museum, that was all she wanted and that was her idea when she went to California at the age of eighteen; she was young and had something to achieve.

And now here she was; standing in the middle of an empty room with a desk and a diploma that said that she was a teacher.

A sudden pain invaded her chest; it was something that she experimented pretty much every single day but some days she could control it better than others; and now the pain was kind of starting to get stronger and after a few seconds of trying to breathe she ran to the bathroom.

Anxiety pills… she started to take them a year ago; when the pain was too much and the situation was starting to really affect her, she never imagined that her future was to depend on some pills to be able to sleep and be calmed but this was the reality.

Emily looked at her reflection in the mirror and after a moment she looked away; she didn't like what she saw, she didn't liked what she saw for a long time now, and she was tired of it but she didn't know how to change that.

After a moment of thinking and calming herself she took her phone and composed a quick text; the last thing she needed was to be locked all day inside of her house, that wasn't going to make her any good so she thought that maybe going out with Ezra for a while could be a good way to forget all her stuff.

* * *

"So how's the moving going? Are you completely settled down?" Ezra asked as he sipped his beer.

"Well, I still have a few boxes to open but I think in a few days everything will be in order"

"How does it feel? To be back in your old town I mean?" He asked curiously. Emily looked around the street where they were sat and sighed.

"I don't know… it's weird" Emily said smiling softly "Everything is so changed…"

"You know my grandad used to say, places doesn't change it's us the ones who never stop changing" Ezra said dramatically

"Nice quote" Emily commented "But… do you see that small building over there?" She said pointing to a building behind them. Ezra turned around and looked at it; then he nodded lightly

"That was a small, old, ugly house back when I lived here" Emily said "Now it's a building; places does change, but I think I changed a lot more"

"In a good way or in a bad way?" Ezra asked jokingly; after a moment he noticed Emily's expression and understood that maybe his joke hit something inside of her.

"I don't know, I kind of think that in a really bad way" Emily whispered sipping her juice.

"Are you feeling better?" Ezra cleared his throat "I mean after all what happened"

Emily shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked down for a second; she wasn't used to talk about her things and even less with all 'what happened'; she told Ezra a few months ago when he was visiting her in California and that was a huge step for her. But now she really didn't know if she was better or not…

"Yes…" she whispered "I am… better, just need to clear my mind a bit"

"Have you talked to her?" Ezra asked simply

"No" Emily answered "I couldn't"

"It's your mother"

"It's been nine years" Emily said looking down

"Yeah, but she's still your family"

"Ezra… I ran away okay? It's not like I've been just studying in California… I disappeared from her life without a word…"

"I know, but do you think she's going to stop to judge you when she sees you?" Ezra asked

"I'm sure things are not going to be easy between us at first" Emily said

"That's why you're trying to avoid that situation then?" Ezra asked

"I'm not avoiding it, it's just that…"

"Em, family is still family no matter what happens; she might be upset but I can assure you that she's going to be really happy to know that you're safe and back here" Ezra said

"You met her huh?" Emily asked

"Yeah; she works at the Rosewood bank" Ezra said "And also she volunteers at the church some Sundays so it's hard not to know her; she's a nice person"

"She doesn't deserve this" Emily whispered "I hurt her"

"I know, but you can't change what happened; now you just have to swallow the pride and go there and fix things" Ezra said

"I guess so"

"Classes start in a few days" Ezra said "You can take your time until then; I bet it would be better for Pam to know that you're here for yourself rather to find out because one of your students or their parents told her"

"You're right" Emily said "But I guess for the moment we could finish our drinks"

Ezra grabbed her beer and raised it as he smiled softly; Emily did the same with her glass of juice and nodded.

"Cheers"

* * *

After her really productive meeting with Ezra; Emily could say that she actually felt better, being with other people sometimes helped her with her anxiety and also helped her to clear her mind a bit and not think too much.

And for a moment she completely forgot about her problems; but now that she found herself alone once again, a sudden pain invaded her body.

She walked through the streets slowly and trying to focus her attention in her steps and not in her thoughts; she was tired of thinking, because it only made her more confused.

Ezra was right; completely right actually, she had to talk to Pam and she couldn't just keep avoiding her forever.

Now that she was back she had to go and face her mom, she couldn't keep running away for the rest of her life and she knew that also Pam had the right to know that she was okay, or maybe to know that she was alive…

When Emily was eighteen, she took one of the most complicated decisions in her life; back then she didn't know that it was a terrible decision; she just did it because she was young and she thought that she had to follow the love of her life around the country even if her mom and the rest of the people didn't like it.

Now she was here again; ten years later completely alone and not knowing what to do or where to start; she had to apologize, and maybe do something more; maybe an apology wasn't going to be enough.

Her steps took her once again to the same familiar neighborhood she had been yesterday; she looked at it and sighed deeply at the sight… She had so many memories there, she spent three years of her life living in Rosewood and that 'weird' house she hated at the beginning ended up being her home.

She went through a lot of things back when she arrived to the town and she had the best memories of her life in that neighborhood; she met her best friends there.

As she walked through the street she eyed the houses and the trees; the tree that was on her left now, was her favorite at that time; she stood up in front of it for a second and smiled softly; it was the biggest tree around and it was right in the middle of two houses; one of them was unoccupied and the other was the house of an old couple that didn't care if the kids played outside.

So Emily and her friends spent a lot of evenings playing there; she remembered that time when she tried to jump to one of the branches and fell to the floor breaking her arm… it was painful but it was a good memory.

She really had her best memories there; but now that seemed to be so far; so unreal. Now that a lot of years had passed it seemed like all that memories were gone and it seemed as if that never happened.

Emily tucked her hands in the pocket of her jeans and started to walk again as she eyed the street.

She walked in front of a particular house that brought her a strange feeling and a warm sensation.

A car was parked in the driveway, it was a big black car, and it seemed to be someone in the garage since the door was opened and she could hear some noises; Emily took a few steps and looked around trying to see someone or maybe just check who was inside; there was a bike leaned against the garage door.

Emily recognized that bike and smiled; she couldn't believe it was still there after all these years; there was a small plaque on the back of the bike that said clearly: L. McCullers.

Emily looked at it for a moment and nodded lightly as she started to walk again; the McCullers family was something she could never forget, even if a lot of years passed she could still remember each of them.

They were a really well known family in Rosewood; Nick McCullers and his wife Claire were doctors that worked on the Rosewood hospital, and also they sponsored the swim team at least when Emily was a student in high school.

They had three (not always so well known) kids; Cassie, Liam and Paige; those three kids were the ones that helped Emily to start being a normal girl again, when she arrived there for the first time.

But it had been nine years since she saw them; Emily wondered how they were now, if they were okay or if they still lived here…

And finally her walk ended a few steps away; she walked past two more houses and finally arrived to her 'destination', it was as if she had wanted to go there all day but she didn't have the courage.

Even if she was now there, she could still feel all the fear and sadness; what if her mom rejected her? She had all the right to be mad at Emily; actually Emily knew that she didn't deserve the love of her mother or anything from her.

A few minutes passed and she found herself still standing in front of the house; she eyed the porch; the sofa she used to use to sit and hang out with her friends or just to read was still there; next to it there were some flowerpots with lilies and roses; her mom's favorite flowers.

Emily let out a sigh and walked slowly to the porch; she fidgeted nervously with her hands once she was standing in front of the door.

This was it; now it was the moment to do it; maybe it was not the perfect moment but if she ran away now she didn't know if she was going to be able to come back later.

She reached out her hand to ring the bell a few times; and after a moment of hesitation she finally did it.

The bell rang for a brief second and Emily's heart twisted; she could feel a lump in the pit of her stomach and her breath hitched in her throat when she heard rushed steps inside of the house. She heard someone yelling something like 'coming' and then she heard the steps closer to the door.

It seemed like it was in slow motion; Emily took a deep breath and suddenly the door finally opened… and Pam appeared in front of her with widened eyes and a confused expression.

Emily felt her eyes watering a bit and she fidgeted once again with her hands; she took a moment to observe her mom; she looked much older than she remembered, she seemed tired and her hair was messy and wet; she was dressed in a bathrobe, probably she just exited the shower and her facial expression was priceless.

Pam let out a sigh and covered her mouth with her hands as she tried to figure out if she was dreaming or not; she blinked a few times and took a step towards Emily with tears in her eyes.

"It's you" She whispered softly more to herself than to Emily.

Emily nodded lightly and swallowed the massive lump in her throat; Pam approached her and reached out a shaky hand to caress Emily's cheek softly.

She touched Emily's face slowly and then she ran her hands through her hair; it seemed like she just couldn't believe what was happening

"It's really you?" She asked with a soft shaky voice.

Emily looked at her for a second and nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek "Yes" She whispered softly.

Pam didn't even thought about it; she immediately trapped Emily in a tight hug as she sobbed into Emily's shoulder.

Emily was so caught by surprise that she didn't know what to say or what to do; she obviously returned the hug, it was nice to be back in her mother's arms; it had been so many time since the last time she was so close to her.

A couple of tears escaped Emily's eyes and after a moment she realized that they both were crying.

She didn't know how much time they were like this but after what it seemed like hours Pam leaned back as she wiped her tears and smiled softly.

"Do… you want to come in?" She asked in a low voice.

Emily mimicked her actions and wiped the tears from her face; she exhaled and nodded as she smiled at her mother.

"Yeah" She said simply

Pam's smile turned bright and she grabbed Emily's hand and pulled her into the house quickly closing the door behind them.

* * *

"I can't believe you're here" Pam said as they entered the kitchen

"Me neither" Emily said

"What are you doing here?" Pam asked curiously as she observed Emily intently

"It's… a long story" Emily said

"You have to tell me everything! You're going to stay right? Are you going to stay here?" Pam asked frantically "Oh my God… where are you living now? Do you have a job or something? Please stay for a bit" Pam asked

"Uh… yeah I…"

"Wait let me change" Pam said "I need some clothes first"

Emily nodded and sat on a chair ready to wait; Pam looked at her for a moment and then she approached her daughter slowly and placed her hands in Emily's cheeks.

"I've missed you so much" She whispered as she looked into Emily's eyes.

Then she exited the kitchen quietly and walked upstairs to change. Emily looked around the kitchen for a second and then she stood up slowly and walked to the fridge where she spotted something that caught her attention.

There was a picture hanging there on the fridge door; there was a picture of Emily holding her swimming trophy next to the pool; and next to that picture there was a picture she made back when she was six; it was her old house in Texas and next to it there was her name: Emily Fields, written with big letters with yellow color.

Emily smiled and placed her hand on the drawing… nine years had passed and her mom was still keeping those pictures as if she was waiting for her to come.

After a second she walked outside the kitchen; the house seemed to be different, it was perfectly clean, the walls were painted since Emily remembered them in a different color; but at the same time everything seemed to be the same.

The furniture was in the same place as always; the living room was exactly as Emily remembered it.

She approached one of the shelves and eyed the books; there were cooking books, albums, and some framed pictures all around.

And in every single wall there was a picture of her; that was something she wasn't expecting at all; she expected her mom to move on and start a new family or maybe just forget her but it seemed like she didn't.

Emily tried to find some clue of other family or some new man in Pam's life; but all the pictures were the same she remembered from when she was a kid.

There were pictures of her grandparents; picture of her when she was a baby; when she was a kid; in the small table next to the sofa there was a picture of her and Cassie McCullers, she pretty much spent the day with her after school every day; she was one of her best friends.

And next to that picture there was a picture of Paige; Emily grabbed it and looked at it for a moment.

Paige looked so grown up in that photo… she was smiling brightly as she held her thumps up for the camera; she seemed to be really happy.

The McCullers siblings became the most important people in Emily's life when she arrived to Rosewood the first time; they helped her to knew new people, and helped her to change a lot of things; she smiled at all the memories and tried to picture Paige in her mind; she was only five when she met her for the first time; she was this tiny, smiling and shy little kid that spread love everywhere.

She had changed a lot after all these years; Emily placed the picture back in its place and walked back to the kitchen.

She noticed something now that she was walking around the house… there were a few pictures of Paige all around; pictures of her with Pam; with friends and just her.

That was kind of weird, but Emily didn't think too much about it. She heard Pam walking downstairs and she walked quickly to the kitchen where she sat again.

"Okay, now I am more decent" Pam said as she entered the room "Do you want something to eat?"

"No… I…"

"I am going to make coffee, do you want some?" Pam asked. Emily looked at her and smiled softly

"Yeah" She said.

Pam smiled back in response and started the coffee quickly; Emily just sat there as she observed her mom; it seemed as if she was trying to make herself busy to avoid the talking part, at least for a while.

Finally with two cups of coffee between them; Pam sat next to Emily and looked at her seriously as she looked for something to say.

"I can't believe this" She whispered. Emily sipped her coffee and looked down

"I know…"

"Where have you been all this time?" Pam asked curiously

"California; I never moved from there" Emily said

"You finished college there?" Pam asked

"Yes, I finished and then I found a nice job"

"Why did you come here?" Pam asked; Emily looked at her and sighed deeply; she knew that her mom was going to have tons of questions but she didn't know if she was ready to answer all of them.

"I wanted a fresh start" Emily said "A friend of mine… Ezra Fitz, you must know him" Emily said; Pam thought about it for a moment and then she nodded "He called me a few weeks ago, he said there was a job here in Rosewood high as a history teacher"

"You're a teacher" Pam said proudly

"Yes"

"And… Maya?" Pam asked in a whisper as if it was something secret. Emily swallowed and then she smiled softly; one of the reasons why she left in the first place was because of her; but it had been a long time since the last time she saw Maya… almost three years.

"She left" Emily said simply "A few years ago"

"Oh… so you stayed there after that" Pam commented sadly

"We were engaged" Emily confessed; Pam widened her eyes in surprise and looked down after that. "But in the last moment she just realized that this wasn't what she wanted so she went… six years with her and then she went"

"I… am so sorry" Pam said

"It's okay, I'm over it"

"Why you didn't come back after that?" Pam asked

"I didn't know what to say… I was heartbroken so I stayed there and tried to fix myself first"

"What changed now?" Pam asked

"I don't know… I guess I'm tired of running away; I grew up and after all these years I finally learned the lesson, so I decided to come back" Emily whispered; she didn't want to tell the full story now, maybe she could tell her mom everything other day; maybe when it didn't hurt so much to talk about it.

Pam placed her hand atop Emily's and smiled softly as a tear fell from her eyes; she looked at her daughter.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this" She confessed

"I thought you had moved on" Emily said

"What? Of course not" Pam said "I never did… when I found your note on my bed… I thought I had lost you forever; I tried to speak to the police and I was ready to go to California and make you come back"

"Why you didn't do it?" Emily asked

"You weren't a kid anymore. You took your own decision and I had to respect it, I never liked Maya so you went with her because of me… I couldn't change that" Pam said

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be; the past is the past, we can't change it" Pam said

"Have you… you know… meet someone?" Emily asked curiously; the sudden change of conversation changed the atmosphere; Pam looked at her for a moment and then she smiled shyly.

"No… Maybe there was someone a few years ago but it ended" Pam said

"Oh" Emily mumbled; she finally gave in and told her mom about her trip from California; she told her about her new job and about the airport; she even told her where she lived and obviously invited her mom to go whenever she wanted.

And she finally told her about her failed visit from yesterday; when she stood in front of the house but didn't dare to knock the door.

"That second plate was for Paige" Pam said smiling; Emily had told her that she saw her cooking and setting the table.

"Paige? Paige McCullers?" Emily asked

"Yeah; do you remember her?"

"Kind of" Emily said

"I have to confess that the first two years I used to set the table for two even if I knew that I was going to eat alone… I had the hope that one day you will knock on my door and will finally decide to stay here with me again and that everything was going to be the same as before… but that never happened so I lost my hope" Pam said sadly "It was Paige the one who changed my perspective" She said smiling "She started to come here almost daily; we used to cook together or just watch TV… she kind of filled the space you left here"

"Sounds really good" Emily said "I never imagined that Paige was going to do that"

"She missed you; you know?" Pam asked "You were kind of her only friend when she was a kid; she was really attached to you and when you left she was as lost as me. So I guess she needed to be here to feel like you were still here"

"I am so, so sorry for what I did" Emily said with a shaky voice "I know I hurt you… and a lot of people; and I know that saying sorry is not going to change anything"

"Maybe not; but you're here" Pam said wiping a tear from Emily's cheek "And that's all that matters, at least that's all that matters for me"

"You're not mad at me?" Emily asked laughing; this meeting had gone really different to what she was expecting

"I was mad; and sad and frustrated but that was nine years ago. Now I am just glad to have you back"

"I am planning to stay for a long time" Emily said.

Pam sighed in relieve and hugged Emily one more time; she had missed her so much all these years, that now all of this seemed unreal.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me" Pam said

"Me too" Emily responded as she smiled.

They hugged once again and reminded like that for a while; after that, obviously Pam continued with the questions.

She was more than curious about Emily's life and Emily knew that she had to respond; her mom had every right to know about her life so she was happy to tell her about her past jobs and some of her friends in California.

They pretty much spent the rest of the day talking; there were a lot of things to fix between them, Emily hadn't tell her mom about the most painful part of her past and she didn't know if she was going to be able to tell her for the moment; but at least she knew that Pam wasn't mad at her, that she even received her with open arms and that was all that mattered for the moment.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Memories

 _13 years ago_

A tear rolled down her cheek softly and fell right on the top of her left shoe; Emily looked down at it and sniffed softly as she directed her gaze to the street once again. She had been there for a long time; she didn't even know how much but probably more than three hours.

And even if the view was boring and there wasn't something interesting happening; she was still there with her knees pressed against her chest as she just looked around and played with a stick she found on the floor before.

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a second trying to imagine that she was somewhere else; somewhere nice, quiet where she could be happy and forget all the loneliness she was feeling and all the bad memories she had.

Ever since she arrived to Rosewood all she had been feeling was loneliness and sadness; she missed her friends and even if she didn't want to recognize that; she missed her dad too. She wasn't used to big changes and moving to a small town after living fifteen years in one place was a really big change.

It wasn't just the fact that she changed her house or the town; she left some friends behind, and a lot of memories. Moving to a new place with new things is never easy, and it was harder for Emily since she wasn't a person used to changes.

All her life had been about a routine; she had a certain routine to avoid all the problems and all the things that were trying to affect her.

And after fifteen years she had become really good keeping that routine and keeping herself safe from all the problems; but now that she was in a complete new place with new things and unknown people, it was different and really scared.

Emily didn't know how to react to all those changes and that was killing her; because she didn't feel okay, she felt completely out of place; she felt as if she couldn't fit in and she never will, and that feeling was really hard to experience.

She was a hermetic person; that was the definition her mother and her grand mom used for her. Emily was not a talkative person, she was quiet and always preferred to observe rather than talk or express her opinions. That personality obviously didn't make her an accessible person; she was always this weird, shy girl that was always alone.

After a couple of years, she got to have some friends; it wasn't like she didn't like to have friends or people around; even if sometimes she seemed to hate people, it was just that she liked to have time to herself; time to think and time to figure out things but she loved her friends.

Emily opened her eyes again and ran her gaze along the street; she wondered how her friends would be, if they were okay, if they were still remembering her; if they talked about her sometimes.

The feeling was weird, she experienced the feeling of being alone before but like that; she never felt as if she didn't have someone to turn to; and she didn't like it. Everything seemed worst now that she felt like that.

Another tear fell down and she clenched her teeth in anger; she was tired of crying, she was tired of everything, but mostly for crying.

This situation was breaking her relationship with her mom in pieces; they argued almost every day. Her mom tried to talk to her and approach her to make her feel better and try and find out how Emily felt. But Emily always shut her out and she used to end up crying.

Emily wiped her tear quickly and placed her hands on her knees as she took a deep breath. She felt the air of the morning in her face and that calmed her; now she didn't have her mom around to argue so everything seemed calmed.

Pam had started her job two days ago; at first she had been reluctant to do it, since she didn't like the idea of leaving her daughter alone knowing that she wasn't okay. Emily was going to start school in a few days so that maybe could take her mind of the problems for a while but for the moment she had to be alone in the house for the day. She convinced her mom after a long argument that she was going to be okay, and that she could handle to be alone for six hours, in the end, it wasn't going to be the end of the world.

She looked at her feet and reminded in complete silence for what it seemed like ages; her thoughts were going to kill her if she didn't stop them so for a moment she tried to shut down her inner thoughts and just listen to the nature.

There was some wind blowing through the streets; she could hear the sound of the cars on the street, some people yelling, some kids…

And suddenly something dragged her out of her silence; rushed steps sounded near her and she opened her eyes curiously at the sound.

It wasn't a loud noise; probably it was just someone running, but she felt curious about it and raised her gaze to check who it was; and then she saw a small little girl running along the street with a smile on her face and completely submerged in what she was doing.

She was a tiny little girl, she was just probably five or six years old; with a bright brown long hair that was tied up. Her steps were short and she seemed to be looking for something on the floor as she ran. And something Emily noticed after a moment was that she was dressed in her pajama…

She was wearing a yellow pajama; yellow pants with grey circles and a yellow shirt with a big circle in the middle, and also she was barefoot; something that caught Emily's attention; that girl didn't seem to care about anything else, she was just running happily without any worries.

But suddenly she tripped with something on the floor and fell on her knees. She reminded in silence for a moment and then she looked at her hands, now covered with dirt and small rocks. A tear escaped her eyes and she wiped it as she sobbed quietly and tried to stand up.

Emily observed her for a moment and then she stood up quickly and walked to her with a concerned look, it wasn't like the girl fell hard to the floor or had hurt herself but seeing her there, so small and crying softly produced some kind of tenderness and sadness inside of Emily.

"Are you okay?" She asked kneeling next to the girl.

"It hurts" The girl said with a soft voice as she pointed to her knee. Emily eyed it for a moment; the pajama pant was a bit ripped from the fall and there was some blood; probably it was just a tiny cut.

"Can I see?" Emily asked gently offering the girl a warm smile. The girl looked at her with her big, now watering eyes and nodded softly after a moment.

Emily placed her hands on the girl's knee to check the damage and then she raised the garment softly until the knee was bare.

As she had imagined, the girl just had a small cut, and there wasn't much blood so she would be okay, there was nothing to worry about.

"You have a tiny cut here" Emily said signaling to the knee; she ran quickly to her house and took the first aid kit that was on the kitchen.

The girl looked at her curiously as she opened the white box and took some cotton and some alcohol from there.

"Is it going to hurt?" She asked concerned when Emily reached out her hand to place the wet cotton on the damage.

"Maybe a little but it's going to be okay in a second" Emily said

"You promise?" The girl asked seriously

"I promise" Emily said.

She looked at the girl to make sure she was okay and then she placed the cotton on the cut very softly trying not to hurt her.

The girl whimpered a bit at the touch and breathed deeply; she placed her hand atop Emily's but Emily smiled at her and continued with the cleaning process.

"Aaand that's it" She said after a moment as she placed a Band-Aid on the now cleaned cut.

"It doesn't hurt more" The girl said smiling

"I told you" Emily said

"Thanks"

Emily stood up slowly and helped the girl to do the same carefully; she looked at her knee and then looked at Emily happily.

She seemed as if she was going to say something but after a second a loud yell interrupted them. It was someone screaming a name really loud; and when Emily raised her haze she spotted a girl running to them.

"PAIGE!" She screamed one more time. Emily looked at the girl and wondered if that was her name, probably it was since the girl that was running was looking at her.

"Paige" she said again once she was standing in front of them "What the hell are you doing?!" She asked worriedly

"Hi Cassie" The little girl said smiling

"This isn't funny Paige, why did you leave the house again? Mom was going to have a heart attack because of you"

"I made a friend" Paige said happily ignoring the girl's words

"What?" The older girl looked up and seemed to finally notice Emily's presence.

"Hi" Emily mumbled shyly.

She observed the girl for a moment before saying something else; now that she could see her better, it was pretty obvious that she was the little girl's sister.

This girl was much older than the little one; probably she was around Emily's age, but she looked alike the other girl; she had darker hair but the eyes and that curious button nose were the same; also they had the same look in the eyes.

"And you are?" The girl asked to Emily trying to be polite

"She helped me" Paige beamed next to them before Emily could speak.

"My name is Emily" She said

"Hi Emily" Paige said happily as she waved her hand to her. Emily smiled and waved her hand back at her a she mumbled a soft 'hi' in response.

"I guess you're new around" the girl said after a moment

"Yeah"

"My name is Cassidy McCullers… you can call me Cassie; and this is my little sister Paige" Cassie said

"Nice to meet you"

"Can we play with Emily?" Paige asked to her sister; Cassie looked at her and shook her head.

"We can't stay here sis, remember that you have to go with mom today" She said

"I don't want to…" Paige said sadly

"Then tell that to her" Cassie answered sarcastically "Let's go" She said

"Wait" Paige said; she walked to a spot next to them and grabbed a small pink flower and then she handed it to Emily "Is for you" She said

"Thank you" Emily said smiling "I am going to keep her in a safe place"

"Okay" Cassie said "We can visit Emily some other time, but now let's go" She said lifting Paige in her arms

"Bye Emily" Paige said excited

"Yeah bye" Her sister repeated.

Emily stood there watching them walking away; Paige seemed to be telling her sister about her previous fall since she was pointing to her knee as Cassie walked. Emily smiled softly at the memory and then she looked at the flower in her hand.

This was the first time since she arrived here that she felt a bit normal, she completely forgot about her problems for a while and she liked it. Maybe this was what she was looking for, maybe she just needed a little push to make new friends.

* * *

 _Present day_

Paige raised an eyebrow as she tried to frame the image correctly; she moved the camera lens a bit and looked around to check if the light was correctly placed or not. She hated to have a bad lighting; she was a perfectionist and she liked to do things properly.

"Can you please turn on that side light please?" She asked as she checked the frame. She waited few seconds and then she bite her lip as she opened the iris diaphragm a bit to get a better focus.

"I need more lights… could you-"

"You know I am not your slave right?" A girl asked next to her. Paige took her gaze out of the camera and looked at her.

"You know I asked to come here to help right?" She asked in the same tone.

"You're lucky I consider you my friend" The girl said as she walked to some lights at the back side of the set.

"Thanks Aria" Paige said as she adjusted the lens again.

Aria Montgomery was a tiny girl with long dark brown hair and bright smile that moved to Rosewood seven years ago. Her dad was a college teacher and her mom was a housewife that wrote articles and 'housewives tricks' for the local newspaper sometimes.

Paige had been a lonely girl ever since she was a little kid and she realized that she wasn't what her parents were expecting.

She was born eighteen years ago, in the McCullers family… but instead of being happy news, it was really shocking; she was something totally unexpected to her parents.

Nick and Claire McCullers were two well-known doctors in Rosewood; they were happily married and had two kids; Cassie and Liam. The boy was three years younger than Cassidy and after he was born Claire thought that two was the perfect number for her.

She had a busy job and she didn't have much time for kids so with two she was more than happy. And her husband never complained about it. But seven years after Liam was born, Paige arrived to the world leaving her mom speechless.

Obviously her mom never told her this, or never said that she was not expected but the way she acted towards Paige pretty much said everything; she was the kid she never wanted to have but she had to have…

With the passing of the years their relationship became better; Paige never caused her any trouble so Claire was grateful for that, and when Paige grew up a bit she accepted her more even though she tried to convince Paige to be like her.

So Paige grew up with all the pressure of having a mother visibly unhappy with her that wanted her to follow her steps in this life and a father that looked to the other side even if he knew that that wasn't okay.

But when Aria arrived to Rosewood, things changed for Paige; she was kind of a weird girl that loved art and reading books, same as Paige and also she was a funny person so she immediately became friends with Paige.

They met in class and after the first day where they had to sit together, they became closer and started a good friendship.

Aria was one of the persons that knew Paige the most; they had gone for so much together that they felt like sister more than just friends. Paige spent a lot of time in Aria's house, they talked about pretty much everything, and they used to work together.

Paige started to work last winter, against her mother's will, in a photography studio; she wasn't a professional photographer, that was her dream but until now, she could practice. The studio was in the center of the town; the owner was a middle aged man called Dimitri, he was a weird guy, really tall and with small eyes that seemed to be observing everything, but despite of his weirdness, he was an excellent photographer and an amazing musician.

The job was to be Dimitri's assistant; there weren't many photographers in Rosewood so he had a lot of work and Paige was a big help; also she insisted so much that Dimitri finally accepted her, and Aria decided to ask if he needed more help and he just said that she could help Paige when she had some shootings on her own.

So now they were in the first set of the studio, preparing all the lighting and the frame to start a photo shooting with the girl of the swim team.

The idea came first from the Coach; she said that it would be a good idea to take some pictures of the girls to put them on the newspaper and maybe in the locker room; but after last year's cup the team became kind of 'famous' around and Coach Fulton decided to make a calendar with the girls to get some money and spread some popularity around the town.

So when the idea came out it was just a slight project but as the days passed everyone became excited about it and finally the girls and the Coach talked to Paige about it and asked her to take the photos.

Paige started to swim when she was ten; it was something she started to do because she wanted to keep her mind distracted and at first she hated it because her mom started to pressure her to be the best because in the future she was going to need the scholarship to go to college and study medicine so she had to be the best but finally Paige started to don't listen to her mom and just swim for pleasure and she turned to be really good and she ended up loving it.

So now she was the main Captain of the swim team and also the official photographer for the day. And she was really excited about it, this was what she wanted to do… maybe not taking photos to high school girls but it would be amazing to work for an important magazine or newspaper; maybe have her own studio in the future.

"Everyone's ready?" A loud voice sounded in the set.

Paige raised her gaze and spotted Coach Fulton standing in the middle of the room with a big proud smile on her face and dressed as if she was going to a party.

She was dressed with tight black leader pants; and a white blouse that let a lot of cleavage to the sight; also she was wearing high black heels that made her a few inches taller. It was so different to see her like this now; she used to wear her coach uniform; blue sweatpants and a blue hoodie with the sharks image on the back.

"Is she really dressed up?" Aria asked softly next to Paige. They both glanced to Fulton a second more and then Paige nodded.

"Yep… I guess she took this to the next level" Paige commented. Aria smiled softly and covered her mouth trying not to laugh.

"I never imagined her out of her uniform…" Aria said

"Me neither; I thought she was born with it" Paige commented as she eyed the rest of the girls, checking if they were ready. She walked to the spot where Coach Fulton was and looked at Aria before approach her. "Don't laugh at this" She said to her friend with a serious expression

"I won't, I promise" Aria said

"I'm serious; if this mess up I'm lost"

"Okay I won't do anything stupid" Aria promised

"Thanks" Paige whispered. She turned to face Coach Fulton and smiled softly "We're ready" She said

Taking photos is never easy; knowing the right angle, the correct lighting and the correct perspective is not so simple; it takes a lot of time to get the camera ready to start the shooting; but Paige loved it.

She loved every second of the technic aspect of photography and also she loved the editing part; but having to work with people… that part was definitely much complicated than set a camera.

And working with the girls was fun at first but then it was a complete nightmare… everyone wanted to have their five minutes of glory in front of the camera and instead of following Paige's instructions, the girls just moved on their own and tried to look as 'hot' as possible.

Even Coach Fulton tried to make her best moves to the camera; until finally Paige's nerves exploded and she ended up yelling at them for not being professional.

It took longer than expected for them to finish the shooting but finally she managed to calm the girls and to finish the photos.

"Your mom is calling" Aria said from her spot on the armchair as she looked at Paige's phone.

They were finally finished and the girls were gone; Paige was now picking up her stuff and placing everything in its place; the last thing she needed was a lecture from Dimitri.

"I will talk to her later" Paige said nonchalantly as she turned off the camera

"You know how mad she gets when you don't answer her" Aria commented

"Ugh… she gets mad because of a lot of things; I don't really care about it, besides she won't be home tonight so, I can deal with her tomorrow"

"She has a shift tonight?" Aria asked

"Yeah, she had three surgeries, and some rounds to make, I think she had a lot of patients to check on"

"And your dad?"

"He'll be in the lab tonight" Paige said "He has a seminar next week and he is preparing some stuff for it" Paige answered sitting next to Aria.

"Do you want to come over tonight?" Aria asked "My mom is making pasta"

"I will love to, but I already have plans" Page said "I am going to visit Liam and I promised Pam that I was going to have dinner with her tonight"

"Why don't you move in with her?" Aria joked "You pretty much spend there the whole day"

"I wish I could; but my mom won't approve that"

"Your mom never approves anything" Aria said

"I know"

"I think it's kind of sad; you even had to break up with-"

"Don't mention her" Paige said suddenly cutting Aria midsentence

"What… why?"

"You know why" Paige said "I don't want to talk about her"

"Are you serious?" Aria asked "Paige, it's been a year"

"I know, but I still don't want to talk about it… we didn't break up because of my mom and you know it" Paige said

"Ugh you said you were over it" Aria said rubbing her temples

"I know; I am"

"Seriously?"

"I… am over it" Paige said "But it hurts to know that someone cheated on you"

"I know" Aria whispered "But hey… you can still find someone if you want; there are lots of girls around here, you will find the perfect one, you'll see"

"Thanks" Paige said "But for the moment, my silly, crazy brother is waiting for me… probably drunk"

"He doesn't drink too much" Aria said

"He is on holidays now, he drinks way too much" Paige said as she stood up.

* * *

She exited the studio and rode her bike a few streets until she arrived to a small building. Her brother Liam decided to move there two years ago; when he opened finally his own mechanical workshop with his best friend Caleb.

They had a lot of clients and did an amazing job so Liam decided to move to the center to be closer to the workshop so he could work better, and also he hated to be locked in his house with his mother yelling and complaining so it was a nice way to escape.

The workshop was near Liam's apartment so Paige didn't have to ride too much to find him; sometimes he slept in the back of the garage.

Paige parked her bike outside the building and checked if the workshop was opened; it was the last week of summer so it was closed. She was right, probably her brother was now at home drunk or with some girl.

She took her keys since Liam gave her a copy of his keys last year so she could go there whenever she wanted; and she walked to the elevator.

It was obvious that her brother was home when she could hear the music from outside; she stood at the door and knocked the door a few times. This was something she learned to do a few months ago when she entered the apartment to see her brother and found Caleb with a girl on the couch… naked…

After that shocking experience she just decided to knock the door first, or leave a message to let them know that she was going to be around.

The music was loud, so no one heard her knock; and after a moment she just opened the door when it was obvious that no one was going to let her in.

The first thing she noticed was the weird smell, it smelled to food, probably in a not eatable state anymore and sweat; Caleb and Liam had a room with a bunch of training machines so they used to work out there, they used to stink when they did it.

And other thing very noticeable was the incredible mess that was all around; there were shoes and socks on the floor; beer cans everywhere, there was a pair of boxers hanging on a door…

Paige looked around and rolled her eyes; they were pretty clean but there were days were it was impossible to be in that apartment.

She walked to the living room and found Caleb completely submerged on the TV screen as she played to some game on his x-box. There was a pizza box in front of him, a half-eaten pizza was inside still warm and next to it there were Chinese food boxes that seemed to be old; they were probably the cause of the weird smell.

Caleb took a big sip of his beer and placed it on the floor to continue with the game; he mumbled some incomprehensible words as he pressed the buttons frantically and then after a second he raised his gaze and spotted Paige at the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hi" he said as he looked for the TV remote; he turned off the music and paused the game "How long have you been there?" He asked

"Long enough to be terrified about this mess" Paige said as she walked to the couch. Caleb as usual was shirtless and with a messy hair and with a beer can in his hand; he was a complete genius, he was incredibly with technology and with mechanics, but he was a bit messy same as Paige's brother.

"I'm… sorry" Caleb muttered under his breath as he looked around

"You're not" Paige said laughing "What the hell happened in here?" She asked. Caleb raised an eyebrow as he looked at the mess and then he smiled softly

"Well… it's our last days free so we kind of had a 'boys night' here" He said

"Boys night? What did you do talk about girls and clothes?" Paige said sarcastically

"Sounds fun, but no, we did talked about girls but we kind of drank a lot and ate a lot more… and I think we just got carried away" Caleb said

"You should consider cleaning sometime you know? I mean you get used to the smell after a while but I think it's because your sense of smell dies a bit here" Paige commented

"Noted; cleaning day soon" Caleb said rubbing the back of his neck

"Any girl you want to talk about?" Paige asked with a devilish smile; she was used to talk to Caleb and Liam like this; she used to spend a lot of weekends with them so they pretty much talked about everything.

"Ugh… not this week" Caleb said sipping his beer "I got too carried away with the drinking"

"Not much action lately huh?" Paige asked

"No… I guess I am getting old"

"You're twenty five, you have a lot of years to go on before you can say you're old" Paige said

"Wait until you have twenty five… how about you by the way?" Caleb asked curiously

"What about me?" Paige asked in response

"Come on Paigey, you know what I am talking about, any interesting girl this week?" He asked raising an eyebrow

"Nope"

"Really?" Caleb asked

"Really"

"I thought Aria was going to set a date for you"

"She was, but I told her that I didn't want to" Paige said sadly

"Why? You should date again P; it would be awesome to see you happy again" Caleb commented

"Maybe, but for the moment I am not in the mood" Paige said

"Okay, but do me a favor okay?"

"What?"

"Tell me when you find a pretty girl that finally makes you happy" Caleb said

"I will" Paige said smiling shyly

"And ask her if she has a hot, single sister" He said jokingly

"Ha ha ha" Paige said exaggeratedly "Very funny Caleb"

"I am serious about this" He said

"Okay, okay; listen I came here to see Liam, is he around?" Paige asked

"He is, but I don't think he is in a talkative mode" Caleb said

"Why?"

"The last time I saw him was when he was throwing up in the bathroom… I think he's sleeping it off" He said as he returned to the game

"Well, I am going to check on him… see if he's still alive" Paige said as she walked to her brother's room

The room was dark and as messy as the rest of the house; Paige couldn't see anything but she could feel all the trash and clothes that were on the floor. The only sound she could hear were the loud snores of her brother and the sound of the music that came from the living room.

She turned on the light and looked at the bed as she shook her head; Liam was completely sprawled on the bed, lying on his stomach as he snored with his mouth open wide.

One of his legs was hanging on one of the sides of the bed and his face was half buried on the pillow.

Paige walked to the bed and sat at the side; she placed her hands on her brother's bare back and shook him by the shoulders for a while. The action didn't cause any effect on him; he just mumbled something and continued sleeping.

"LIAM WAKE UP" she yelled as she shook him one more time.

Liam changed his position but didn't wake up; Paige sighed in frustration and tried to move him a few times.

"If you don't wake up I swear I am going to jump on you" Paige said. It was a joke at first but as she thought about it she realized that maybe it wasn't a bad idea.

So after a moment she took of her shoes and stood up in the bed getting ready for the action; she eyed her brother for a moment and then she let her body fall atop his with a loud thud and falling right on Liam's back.

The action finally caused a reaction on Liam and he opened his eyes startled as he looked around. Paige burst out laughing when she saw his confused expression and Liam slammed a pillow against her face.

"I am going to kill you!" He said as he rubbed his eyes

"I told you if you didn't wake up I was going to jump" Paige said

"Ugh"

"Come on, it was fun" Paige said "Almost like the old times"

"Yeah, but in the old times you were a tiny girl that didn't weight so much" Liam said stretching his muscles

"Hey! I am on my perfect weight" Paige complained

"What are you doing here?" Liam asked

"Nothing… I just wanted to wake you up" Paige said sarcastically

"Fuck you"

"You have the worst mood when you wake up dude" Paige said "Remember that you gave me the key, and as a good brother you let me stay here when I want"

"Can you remember me why I decided to do that?" Liam asked

"Because you love me, and because you know mom and you know that I need a rest from her" Paige said

"Right, so you want to stay the night?" He asked yawning

"It would be cool… I don't want to be alone today" Paige said

"Fine, you know where your room is, now let me sleep" Liam said lying back on the bed

"Cassie called" Paige said. Liam cracked an eye open and looked at her

"What did she want?" He asked

"I am not sure… she said that she wanted to talk to us together and… you know her, she's always so enigmatic but I think she wants to come to Rosewood soon" Paige said

"Wow… that's great news, she's been out of the town for three years now" Liam said

"Yeah, I am going to regret saying this but I kind of miss her"

"I know little sis; me too"

"So I wanted to ask you if you wanted to skype with her tomorrow; we could talk to her and see what she wants" Paige proposed happily

"Fine with me" Liam said

"Oh… I am going to go now, but just for a moment; I wanted to see Pam tonight" Paige said standing up ready to walk outside.

Liam rubbed his forehead and then he sat up quickly as he remembered something important; Paige was halfway to the door when he stood up and told her to stop.

"I completely forgot about this" He said as he put some sweatpants on since he was only in his underwear

"What?"

"Pam is not home tonight" He said seriously

"Why? Is she okay? Did she tell you where she was? Don't make me wait, tell me what's wrong!" Paige demanded getting nervous

"I'll tell you when you calm down and shut up" Liam said

"Okay…"

"She's okay, she isn't sick or something but she had something important to do" He said

"What?"

"I… don't know how to tell you this" Liam said sincerely as he looked down

"I hate you so much when you ramble, please just tell me" Paige said impatiently

"Do… do you remember Emily?" He asked finally

"Emily?" Paige asked in response

"Yeah, Emily Fields; Pam's daughter" Liam said

"Of course I remember her, she lives in California now right?" Paige asked

"Not anymore…"

"What do you mean?" Paige asked confused

"She moved back to Rosewood yesterday" Liam said in a low voice.

He remembered well Emily Fields; how he could forget her; she had been his crush for a long time and he ended up completely heart broken when Emily came out as a lesbian. And also he remembered how Paige loved Emily too; she was like her little shadow, everywhere Emily was, Paige was behind her, they were really close.

And it seemed like Paige remembered her too; she was too little when Emily appeared in her life, but they shared a special bond ever since they first met so it was impossible for her to forget her.

"What?" Paige asked completely confused

"She is living here now; so Pam is with her, I guess they had a lot of things to talk about"

"Why didn't she tell me?" Paige asked; her brother looked at her with a tender look and smiled softly

"Emily is Pam's daughter; she's been away for nine years… I find pretty normal that Pam wants some time alone for them; I mean she must be flipping over the situation" He said

"But I wanted to know it too" Paige said

"That's why she told me before; so I could tell you" Liam said

A tear rolled down Paige's cheek and Liam asked himself internally if he did the right thing telling her sister; it was something he had to do, but he didn't know she was going to end up so affected.

"Paige…" he said approaching her

Paige wiped her tears with the back of her hand and took a deep breath; her brother trapped her in a tight embrace before she could leave and she closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of Liam's body. It had been nine years; she shouldn't be so affected…

"I…am going to go to bed" She said softly when they pulled apart

"Do you want something to eat?" Liam asked "Caleb ordered a pizza… but I'm sure he ate it already so we can order another one, or we can order whatever you want" He said

"Uh no thanks; I am not hungry"

"Are you okay sis?" Liam asked concerned

"Yes, I'm just shocked I guess… sorry for waking you up" Paige said softly.

She walked out of the room and went to her room; it was obviously the only decent room in the apartment; it was clean and in order, with a nice smell.

Liam and Caleb set that room for her when she started to sleep in their apartment every weekend; her parents used to work a lot so she had to be alone at home and sometimes she didn't want that; so finally she got a room with in her brother's house.

It was a small room; with blue painted walls, it was her favorite color, there were pictures hanging on the wall, and a medium sized bed Caleb made for her. Also there was a small desk on the side and a big window that allowed a lot of light to enter.

She sat on the bed and released a deep breath she didn't know she had inside; she wanted to cry but at the same time she didn't want to.

Emily left nine years ago without any explanation; actually she didn't have to explain anything to her, but still it hurt. Paige felt really attached to her since she was the first person that believed in her and she never treated her as if she was the unwanted sister and daughter…

She remembered all those nights when Emily slept in her house in Cassie's room; or when she had to baby sit her when her parents were working and Cassie was partying in the woods.

She opened one of the drawers of her night stand and took a small box from there. It was a cubic box made with dark wood and with a delicate flower drew on it.

Paige looked at it for a while and then she opened it; inside of the box, there was a small bracelet with her name grabbed on it; she wore that bracelet for a long time until it didn't fit her wrist anymore. And then she took a necklace from the box; it was a silver necklace with a flower, she liked flowers when she was a kid so Emily bought that special necklace for her when she turned six. And then there was a small picture at the end of the box.

There was a picture of her and Emily; she smiled at the memory, in the photo she was only six years old, she looked so little and so happy; she was in Emily's arms, they both were smiling at the camera. Cassie took that picture back then; a day when they were at the park playing.

It was a nice moment, and Paige remembered every second of it; and she missed every second of it. She suffered a lot when Emily left. She never told anyone besides Pam but she suffered a lot and it took a long time for her to get used to not seeing Emily around anymore.

So now that Emily was here again she felt weird, and kind of sad; a lot of questions crossed her mind in that moment. Did Emily remember her? A lot of time had passed, maybe Emily didn't remember her. Had Emily changed? How was she now?

She lied on the bed and looked at the ceiling as she thought about the situation; she didn't know how to react… maybe she could go to see Pam and ask her, or maybe she could wait… who knew.

"Emily is back" She whispered as she smiled

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Some things you asked me yesterday: for the moment I don't think I'm going to change anything about the story, but if I do I'll tell you don't worry. And until I can resume the story where I letf off I am going to post daily :)**

 **So here you have another one. Enjoy! Remember that your reviews are more than welcomed!**

Chapter 4: First days are never easy

When the alarm beeped Emily turned it off immediately and sat on the bed looking at the wall as she rubbed her temples. It was exactly seven o'clock and she had been awake since probably five in the morning.

For some reason, and even if she took her usual sleeping pill before going to bed; Emily couldn't get her body to relax, so she couldn't sleep so much. The nerves and the weird sensation she had inside for this new start didn't let her alone.

She opened her eyes at five in the morning and cursed and said every single swear word she knew… if she couldn't sleep now she was going to be incredibly tired later and that day she didn't need to feel tired. Emily needed all the energy she could have, because coming back to school was never easy.

When she was a little kid; the first day of school was always a drama; she remember when she was only five or six years old and she saw her mom leaving after leaving her in school; it was a traumatizing experience because for her watching as her mom walked away meant that she was never going to see her again and she always ended up crying.

Obviously when she grew up a bit she understood that being without her mother for a couple of hours wasn't the end of the world so she accepted that she had to go to school and she stopped all the crying and all the drama. Maybe there were a couple of years when going to school was fun; she didn't have much homework to do and she had friends so she could play and do cool things. But when she started high school; things changed.

First of all, her first years of high school weren't as good as she imagined them to be. There were two high schools in her town back there in Texas so most of her friends were to one of them and the rest to the other one; so that meant that she had to separate from some of her friends, and then when she moved to Rosewood she had to start everything again.

So her first day at Rosewood high was a nightmare for her; she had the bless to already know Cassie McCullers, who turned to be one of the most, crazy popular girl in the town and obviously around school and that made things a bit easier since with the pass of the months Cassie started to became Emily's best friend.

But still her first day was a disaster; Emily didn't know where her classes were, she didn't know her teachers or the other students so she just walked around as if she was a zombie looking for her class and trying to fit somewhere.

And now maybe her situation was a bit different; she wasn't a teenager anymore, she knew perfectly Rosewood High, she knew every single class and teacher, but this time she wasn't going to be there as a student. So she was as terrified to start as she was back thirteen years ago.

After a moment of meditating and relaxing; she stood up finally and walked to her closet to pick up some clothes. Last night she let on the small armchair that was next to her window, some clothes prepared. She had picked a black skirt and a white blouse but now that she thought about it, it was maybe too much… but maybe she should dress up as much as she could today that was her first day, she had to cause a good impression; but maybe she didn't need to do so, maybe she just have to be herself… but what if she had to go and talk to the principal? She couldn't go dressed with random jeans; maybe she had to wear a dress, that was too much but the skirt wasn't a bad option…

Emily took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she eyed the clothes hanging on her closet; she was making a bit deal about this, she had to focus a bit and think better about things.

She wasn't going to a party, she definitely didn't need dressed up so much but she wasn't going for a walk either so she had to find a halfway point between those things.

Finally after a few more minutes she picked up the final outfit. She put on the same skirt she picked last night, in the end it wasn't a bad idea; she liked that skirt, it was simple not too long but not too short, she wore it to her first work interview and she liked it. And then she chose a light pink shirt; she just thought that adding some color wouldn't hurt; besides she loved that shirt.

So she buttoned it quickly and put some black heels, she was going to try them, if she felt too uncomfortable maybe she could change them tomorrow for other shoes.

It was half past seven when she exited her room already changed; maybe she woke up in time but now she was a bit out of time, she couldn't be late on her first day of work; the last thing she needed was to be fired.

Normally Emily liked to cook; she learned back when she shared that small apartment next to Stanford with Maya. They used to go to some cooking classes on Saturdays and other than that Emily loved to be in the kitchen alone and just cook.

So she used to take her time with every meal; for breakfast more particularly she loved to make some orange juice; her favorite, also she loved to prepare her coffee, black with just a spoon of sugar and then she liked to eat toast with tomato and oil, maybe cheese or just cook some pancakes. She never liked rushed breakfast where she had to eat just cereal with milk…

But today that was what she was doing. She was leaned against the counter with a big bowl filled with milk and cereal that she ate as quickly as she could. She didn't even took her time to bite it she just swallowed the cereal fast and tried not to spit out all the milk.

Her phone beeped a few times and she saw that it was Ezra calling; maybe she wanted to know where she was, she checked the time and saw that there were only ten minutes left for eight o'clock.

She immediately regretted eating that last spoonful of cereal since part of it ended up in her shirt and she had to go back and change; she exited the room still buttoning her new shirt; this time a blue one and ran to the living room to pick up her purse and her papers and after that she ran outside.

She had the luck to live so close to the school; Ezra wasn't lying when he said that he was going to look for some place as near from work as possible and today Emily was really grateful for that.

Rosewood High was just two streets from her apartment so she was there in less than five minutes. When she finally arrived there, there was still a few minutes until the bell rang.

There were a bunch of students already waiting outside, Emily walked slowly as she looked at them, they were smiling as they talked and laughed and checked classes and teacher's names.

Everyone seemed so excited; they were probably talking about what they did on summer or maybe they were talking about how boring or exciting classes were going to be, some of them were on their last year of high school and some of them were starting.

Emily entered the building and sighed deeply as she looked at the hallway, with all the lockers and the doors that lead to the classrooms; she immediately remembered when she walked around that same hallway and went to that same classes as a student.

She stood up in front of one particular locker; the one next to the math class, that one had been her locker for three years, she had it full of sharks stickers and some pictures of the swim team; and all her books, she also had there a picture of Paige…

The locker next to the one that had been hers was the one Cassie ended up using; she switched lockers with Brenda Miller when she became Emily's best friend; actually Emily never believed the version Cassie told about how she got the locker; she said that she talked nicely to Brenda and she asked her politely but probably she just threatened her or worst… maybe she hit her or something.

Cassie was the first best friend she had; besides of Paige; that little girl had a particular way to see everything and everyone and she always said that she was Emily's best friend, she never let Cassie say that she was Emily's best friend, she couldn't.

Emily felt really close to that little girl, ever since the first time they met outside of Emily's house they started to bond a lot. So she ended up being the McCullers baby sitter, Cassie could take care of her brother and her sister but she used to party on weekends and also Claire McCullers preferred to have someone more responsible like Emily with her kids.

Emily spent a lot of nights and days in the McCullers house and she ended up feeling as if they were part of her family, Cassie was like the sister she never had and Liam was the nice caring brother that was always making her laugh.

And then there was Paige, Emily never knew if she was the sister she never had as well or just the best friend she never had… the truth was that even if she was five years old at that time she seemed to be much older.

Nick McCullers used to say that Paige was an old soul trapped in a child's body, and maybe he was right, because the way Paige used to see the world and the way she understood everything wasn't proper for a five year old child.

Emily discovered later that it probably was because of the way her mom used to treat her; she didn't mistreated her or something but Claire always treated Paige as if she wasn't her daughter, just as if she was someone that needed to live in that house but nothing more.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door that closed abruptly behind her; Emily looked around startled to see an old man carrying a bunch of papers in his hands; probably he was just a teacher. Then her mind went back to when she was fifteen for one last second. She looked at the locker and smiled before she started to walk through the hallway.

She had a question in her mind since she talked for her mom after arriving to Rosewood; since she saw Paige's picture in her mom's house.

How was Paige now? A lot of years had passed so there was no way she was still a child. Actually it was a fact that Paige was going to be attending Rosewood High now and probably if Emily could count well she was in her last year.

A lot happened in Rosewood since Emily left so probably Paige didn't even remember her; but still Emily remembered her with some tender feeling in her heart.

"Here you are!" Emily turned around this time to see a familiar face. Ezra was right in front of her dressed in black suit pants, a white shirt and a dark brown vest with a tie… maybe Emily wasn't the one dressed up

"Hi Ezra" Emily said

"I thought you weren't going to come" He said handing Emily a cup of hot coffee

"Oh God thanks! I owe you one" Emily said accepting the coffee and sipping it "I completely lost track of time this morning" She said. Ezra looked at her and nodded

"I know what it feels like; first days are always kind of weird and even more if you're new here" He said

"Agreed, but it kind of feels good to be back here" Emily said looking around as they started to walk again

"My mom thought that I was being stupid when I told her I wanted to be a teacher" Ezra said smiling "Actually she was kind of right you know? We struggle to finish high school and then we come back here as if nothing happened"

"Struggle? Have you something to tell me Mr. Fitz?" Emily asked jokingly

"I wasn't the best student" Ezra said "But don't tell anyone, my students have to think that I was the best"

"Your secret will be safe with me" Emily said as she took a big sip of coffee and laughed

"But it's true, we are back here, ready to teach something, I'm kind of excited" He commented rubbing his hands

"I know, me too, but I am scared, this is the first time I am going to teach… you know formally" Emily said

"Just try to relax, the students here are good people, they are going to be comfortable and happy if they see you comfortable, don't show any hint of nervousness and everything will be okay" Ezra said

"Nice advice… let's wait until the first class starts"

* * *

They arrived to a big closed door; Ezra readjusted his ty and opened the door quickly allowing Emily to see a big room with a few couches in the middle and a coffee machine and a snack machine next to it that had a letter that said out of service.

Inside there were a few people; an old man reading a paper (the same man she saw minutes ago) there was a small old lady with big glasses that was sat in one of the ouches talking on her phone. And then, next to the coffee machine there was a tall girl with a cup of coffee in her hands.

The girl spotted Ezra and Emily and sipped her coffee before walking to them with a serious expression.

"Hi Mr. Fitz" She said completely ignoring Emily. Emily observed her for a moment and decided that she didn't really like this girl, at least not for the moment.

She was really dressed up, not in a dress but she was wearing expensive clothes, which meant that she was an important person here or at least was in a better economic position than Emily. She wore her hair tied in a high ponytail that fell perfectly over her left shoulder; and had a bright smile on her face as she stood on front of them.

"Hi Spencer" Ezra said "How was your summer"

"Pretty good, I got to go to Canada for a month" Spencer said proudly as she eyed Emily a bit

"Oh so you actually exited the lab for five minutes?" Ezra asked sarcastically. The question made Emily think a bit… if he mentioned the lab that meant that this girl Spencer was a science teacher or something like that… she never imagined that; she could picture Spencer being an English teacher, or maybe a music teacher… a lawyer… maybe a sociology teacher but not science.

"Very, very funny, at least I didn't spend the whole summer reading books in my tiny dirty apartment surrounded by beer" Spencer said angrily "Who's your friend?" She asked finally looking at Emily.

"Right" He said clearing his throat "Spencer Hastings, this is Emily Fields"

"Hi, Emily" Spencer said extending her hand to her. Emily shook her hand softly and faked a smile

"She's the new history teacher" Ezra said breaking the weird silence that settled down between them

"Oh, history… nice, Mrs. Hollie left Rosewood High two years ago; we haven't had a formal history teacher since then, are you going to stay here for a long time?" Spencer asked raising an eyebrow

"Well… that's the idea" Emily said

"Cool" Spencer said crossing her arms over her chest; Ezra glanced at Emily and looked back at Spencer who was eyeing Emily carefully. "I guess we're going to be coworkers for a long time" She said smiling softly

"I guess" Emily said

"Ezra!" The three teachers turned around to the sound of a deep, husky voice that came from behind. There was a short, fat ginger man with big black glasses dressed up in a deep blue suit; he smiled brightly when he arrived to the spot when Spencer, Emily and Ezra were talking.

The three looked at the man for a moment until he was next to them; he looked at Spencer and Ezra and then fixed his gaze on Emily.

"I have to go" Spencer said; she looked at Emily "See you around" She said sharply and then she walked away

"Ezra" The man said again

"Hi Mr. Green" Ezra said smiling

"So good to see you again; you totally have to come to my office later" He lowered his voice "I have some Scottish whisky my mom bought for me"

"We totally have to try it" Ezra said in the same low voice. Emily looked at them curiously.

"Oh you must be Emily" The man said

"Yeah, nice to meet you" She said politely. The man extended his hand and Emily shook it shyly, but instead of releasing Emily's hand he just kept shaking it.

"May I say that you are even more beautiful in person" He said "We talked on the phone a few weeks ago, I'm Malcom Green"

"Mr. Green" Ezra started in a whisper "Is the principal now" He said. Emily's penny dropped and she smiled at him.

"I am so happy to have you here with us, is so great to have a new official teacher here" He said happily; finally he released Emily's hand and readjusted his glasses "The whiskey offer stands for you too… you're totally welcomed" He said

"Thanks Mr. Green…"

"Call me Malcom" He said smiling. Ezra covered his mouth to suppress a laugh and Emily blushed a bit; it was so obvious that the principal was now flirting with Emily.

Fortunately after a few seconds of silence where Mr. Green just stared at Emily with a weird smile the bell rang signaling the beginning of the classes.

Emily sighed in relieve and ran out of the teachers room followed by Ezra; a bunch of students walked now through the hallway; they were checking their lockers and looking for their class rooms.

"First day is officially started" Ezra said raising a fist as he smiled "Aren't you excited?"

"Not as much as you" Emily said

"Follow my advice Em; just relax" He repeated

"Okay" Emily said "Where do you have class now?" She asked curiously

"Senior year" Ezra said "My favorite, we're going to do an introduction to contemporary literature and some poetry" He said enthusiastically "Do you know where is your class right?"

Emily took a small paper from her left pocked and read it a few times; she kind of remembered where that class room was

"Second floor… door 14A" Emily read out loud

"Oh so you have class with our friends from the first year" Ezra said

Emily actually never read the list of her students; she just eyed it last night when she went to bed but never pay much attention to the names or the ages.

Ezra finally walked away to his first class and Emily took a deep breath before walking upstairs to the second floor where the class room was. 14A was the third door on the left side of the hallway.

* * *

When she entered she stood up right at the door observing the scene; the students were already there talking and laughing, some of them were sitting on the table chatting quietly and a few others were sitting in the teacher's table while one of them was sitting in the teacher's chair.

Emily swallowed a lump in her throat, it wasn't a big deal, she could handle this but she was nervous. She never worked with first year students; she used to give classes to sophomore year, or senior year…

A paper plane flight in front of her and Emily finally decided to do something; she adjusted her shirt softly and walked inside of the class room with decision keeping her gaze on the table.

Some students finally noticed her and sat on their chairs making silence but the rest continued talking. Emily stood in front of the black board and cleared her throat a couple of times.

A sudden silence settled in the class and Emily smiled proudly when she saw that everyone was now on their seats and focused on her. She turned around and grabbed a chalk and wrote her name on the black board.

For being her first day, everything went surprisingly good; she didn't expect things to be so easy, or maybe it was because it was her first day, maybe she needed to get ready for the rest of the year but she did it pretty good.

Her class with first year ended up being pretty funny, the students might seem a bit out of control but they were nice people, Emily had fun giving the class and it passed really quickly.

The next class after that was with sophomore year, which was a bit harder since the students were in a very talkative mood but at least she got to introduce herself and all the things they were going to be learning during the year.

"Rough day?" Ezra asked as he waited for his coffee to get ready. Emily sighed deeply and smiled

"Actually it's going pretty good" She said as she sipped her own coffee. They were at the teachers room after a long morning, Ezra seemed to be tired, he had a smile on his face but seemed tired.

"Lucky girl" he said with a sigh "I am already tired"

"You're getting old" Emily suggested jokingly

"Well my friend I don't think I need to remember that I am only two years only than you" Ezra said smiling. Emily rolled her eyes. He retired the cup of coffee from the machine and they walked to the nearest couch to sit there.

"You don't need to do that" Emily said "I don't like to remember that I am getting old"

"You're not even thirty Em, you're not old" He said

"I feel old" Emily confessed, maybe it was meant to be a joke but she said it seriously

"Well, fortunately now you have the opportunity to start again and maybe who knows you can meet someone that makes you feel…"

"Younger?" Emily asked sarcastically

"I was going to say alive, but that can work too" Ezra commented

"I don't know Ezra… I don't know if I am ready to meet someone again" Emily said sadly

"You don't have to, but just think that maybe in a couple of years you can change your mind"

"That's what I thought the last time, and look what happened" Emily said a she looked down.

Ezra cleared his throat and tried to think about something to say to clear the air; he remembered that night, a few months ago when Emily called him literally in the middle of the night crying desperately and told him about her situation. Ezra wasn't an expert with these things and he didn't know what to do but he could feel all the pain and the suffering so he did his best to help his friend. But even if Emily seemed to be better now that she was back at home, she still seemed to be lost and sad.

"How about you?" Emily asked suddenly taking a deep breath

"Me?"

"Yeah when are you going to meet someone?"

"Ugh, it's not so easy" Ezra said frowning a bit, Emily laughed

"What happened to Elise?" Emily asked in a purr "Or Laura? Wait… and Tania?" She asked remembering Ezra's 'conquers' from the past years

"Elise moved to Canada last year" Ezra said simply "Laura was just a one week thing, it wasn't going to work, and Tania… we didn't even got to date" He said

"Really? And you want to give me advice about my love life?" Emily asked smiling

"For your information I had had a formal relationship that lasted a few years" He said

"And what happened?"

"It didn't work"

"Her name?" Emily asked

"Maggie" Ezra said

"What kind of name is that?" Emily asked

"Is the short of Margaret I think"

"Well, how many years did you last?"

"Four"

"Wow" Emily said

"See? I had a normal relationship once; now I am just enjoying my singleness"

"I don't think you believe that but okay, just let me know when you finally meet a girl that stands you for more than a day" Emily said

"Very funny, but enjoying my singleness is one of the most intelligent things I ever done in these past years, if you are not going to meet someone for the moment you should totally try it"

"Maybe I will" Emily said.

Ezra checked his watch and sighed as he sipped his coffee quickly; Emily looked at the big clock on the wall and saw that there were only five minutes left for the next and last class.

"I want this day to be over already and it's just the first day" Ezra said

"Something important to do after this?" Emily asked

"Sleep" Ezra said "I have to admit that I went to a bar last night and I kind of went to bed late, but still; senior year, combined with second year students is the death for me" He said

"You had class with senior year?" Emily asked

"Yeah, the third group, they're great kids but god they love to talk and make noise"

"Whish me look then" Emily said "I have class with that same group now"

Ezra stood up quickly and threw the empty cup to the trash; Emily stood up too and grabbed her notes and papers.

"We should go" Ezra said as they walked outside.

He walked through the hallway and Emily stood alone for a moment trying to figure out if the number that was written in the paper was a six or a five; she had a nice handwrite but when she had to write with rush it changed a bit…

Fortunately when she arrived to the class room it was still empty; she had been arriving late to all her classes during the day so now she breathed relieved as she placed her things on the table. She took her time to sit and finish her coffee while she red her notes, she had everything prepared for the class, she was going to be talking about their goals this year, all the things they were going to see; she was going to start with a bit of 'global' history, something really important for the general culture of the students and then they were going to focus on some more specific history.

A few minutes passed and Emily asked herself why she was still alone in the class room; the students should be there by now; she checked the clock and then grabbed that class schedule, they were on PE right now… that was the reason.

Emily eyed the schedule and then for mere curiosity she grabbed the list of the class; it was a long list, that group was the biggest one.

She started to read all the names; she didn't know anyone there but maybe if she knew the names already she could take advantage on that and learn them before when she saw the faces.

Her gaze stopped at one particular name, at first she thought that she read it wrong but when she read it three more times she saw that she read it correctly; the name: Paige McCullers was written there in the paper she was holding now. Emily spitted out the last sip of her coffee as she stared at it with surprise.

Paige was on her list… that meant that she was going to see her now; she shouldn't feel so affected but this wasn't the way she wanted to see Paige again.

The door opened a few seconds later and the first group of students entered slowly; there were three boys and two girls that were staring at their phones. Following them entered the rest of the students.

Emily could hear someone saying something like 'hot teacher' or just 'hot'; she ran her gaze through the people in the class trying to find Paige; she didn't know what she was going to say to her, maybe she didn't have to say anything.

Paige was eight years when she went to California, so maybe she didn't remember her; this inner conversation ended up with her deciding that it was better to not say a word. In the end she was going to give a class not meet an old friend.

But still she froze in her place when Paige finally entered the room; the class room was already full with students, Emily assumed that there were still a couple of people to arrive since there were some empty tables.

Paige walked into the class slowly as she chatted quietly with a tiny girl that walked next to her; they were smiling at each other as they commented something.

Emily sat on the table and took a second to observe Paige; she was tall, a lot taller than she remembered her. Back when she was five she was a really tiny little girl with dark blonde hair, and big brown eyes that were always full of light.

The eyes were still the same; Emily had never seen such beautiful eyes since Paige's but her hair was a bit darker than before; now that Emily thought about it Paige looked more alike to her sister Cassie now; and she was a really beautiful girl.

She sat in one of the chairs next to the tiny girl that was next to her and they kept talking for a while more. Emily tried to run her gaze through the class room to focus on the class but she was really surprised about Paige. She didn't expect to meet her like this after all these years.

The last students finally entered the class and Emily stood up getting ready to start; this was her last class of the day, so she had to do it right. She cleared her throat a couple of times and fidgeted with her hands nervously.

"Hi everyone" She said in a loud, determined voice. There was a silence in the class; everyone made silence and turned to see her. And finally she made eye contact with Paige.

At first she didn't saw it but then she realized that Paige was surprised; she was pale as a ghost and she didn't even blink.

Emily proceeded to the presentations; introducing herself and then asking the rest of the students their names.

* * *

The class went surprisingly good, everyone payed attention to her and she got to say everything she had planned; but still she was really distracted trying not to think too much about Paige.

It was obvious that Paige was trying to make eye contact with her; she never took her eyes from Emily but Emily did an effort to look to other people and focus her gaze on the rest pf the students.

So when the bell rang signaling the end of that first day; Emily sighed in relieve as she started to pick up her things.

Paige in the other hand stood up quickly as she grabbed her stuff in a rush; she was completely out of words now, Emily Fields was right there in her class, she was her teacher now?

"Are you okay?" Aria asked curiously as she picked up her stuff too. Paige glanced discretely at Emily and then she nodded

"Yeah"

"You seem nervous" Aria said

"Me? No I… I am not, I'm fine"

"You're weird sometimes" Aria said "Are you worried about something?"

"Why?" Paige asked

"You have that look… and your eyebrow is raised" Aria commented

"It's not"

"It is, and when that happens it's because you are concerned about something"

"I…" Paige took a second to think about what to say; she wasn't used to lie, and less to lie to her best friend, she wasn't even good at lying but, she wasn't in the mood now to tell Aria about Emily. "I forgot that I have to clean the kitchen"

"Oh"

"Yeah and my mom is going to be home tonight so I have to do it now" Paige said

"I guess it's pointless to ask you to come over then" Aria said

"Sorry… we can totally hang out tomorrow after school"

"Fine" Aria said.

They walked to the door and on the way Paige tripped with the teacher's table dropping her books to the floor.

Aria was now exiting the class, totally oblivious to what happened; so Paige quickly picked them up from the floor.

A sudden sweet smell, like strawberries or peach, filled Paige's nostrils as she stood up, and someone picked her book for her; she raised her gaze already knowing who it was and gulped audibly when she saw Emily standing in front of her.

"I think this is yours" Emily said politely. Paige looked at her and thought about saying something but her mind couldn't think of any word to say in that moment. She took the book from Emily's hand carefully not to touch it.

"Thanks Mrs. Fields" She said simply as she held her book close to her chest.

Emily looked at her with a hint of sadness and a bit resigned; she was already expecting Paige to not remember her but it kind of hurt; she had such a good memories with her from the past. Or maybe Paige just was angry with her… that was the other option, the one she didn't want to consider because it was too much for her; she was pretty aware that she left Paige in a really vulnerable moment of her life, they were really close and she didn't even say goodbye so maybe Paige was just angry at her… whatever it was the problem Paige didn't expressed it with her facial expression, she just smiled softly and politely at Emily before leaving the class.

Emily stood there alone after everyone left and looked at the table; coming home was hard but getting to make things right now that she was here was even harder.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Uncomfortable meetings

"Paige!" Her mother's raised voice sounded in the kitchen and dragged Paige completely out of her thoughts as if someone threw her a cold water bucket. Paige looked up finally to find Claire's eyes and smiled apologetically at her, her cup of hot chocolate was now cold between her hands.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked as she eyed her. Paige nodded "You are a bit pale"

"I'm fine" Paige said

"Why weren't you listening to me then?" Her mom asked with a sharp tone. Paige sighed deeply and looked at the cup between her hands.

She didn't like this moments, she totally preferred to be alone with no one bothering her. The meetings in the kitchen with her mom were really boring and always ended up with they, arguing; so when Paige knew that Claire was in the house she used to go to the kitchen only if it was necessary and then rushed to her room to lock herself there and be safe.

For some reason her mom avoided to go in there, Claire entered Paige's room only if it was extremely necessary, and Paige was grateful for that; she didn't need her mom invading her private space.

Today was meant to be a quiet day; when Paige arrived from school she decided to stop thinking about Emily, at least for a while. She knew her parents were still at the hospital so she planned to sleep a bit and watch movies for the rest of the day, at least that way she could stop thinking. But when she was at the kitchen her mom surprisingly arrived and cornered her there so now they were both sat at the kitchen table. Her mom holding a cup of tea, and Paige with a cup of cold chocolate, which she wasn't going to drink.

"How was your first day of school?" Claire asked with a serious tone

"It went okay" Paige said simply. Claire observed her for a second with that analytic look she had all the time. It was as if she was checking on a patient.

"Are your grades fine?"

"Mom… it was the first day, I don't have any grade yet" Paige said

"You know I expect you to do your best this year right?" Her mom asked

"Yes" Paige said looking down

"And that means you have to put your best effort even if it's just the first day" Claire said.

Paige sighed deeply and nodded knowing that it was completely pointless to argue with her mom; Doctor Claire McCullers was a really tough woman with a stone façade, it was impossible to know what she was thinking and how she was going to react. She needed to have everything under control and she always seemed to be calculating the situation with her analytic look.

She was a tall woman; even if her two daughters were tall too she managed to be a few inches taller than them. She was a thin woman with a nice body complexion due to her diet based in salad and soup.

She used to dress always with white or black, she didn't really like to dress with much color; the only time Paige saw her mother wearing something with a bit of color was in her sister's wedding, when Page's aunt got married, Claire wore a deep blue dress to the ceremony, it made her look a lot younger.

But Claire used to wear only black or white clothes; she said that it was the correct thing to do since she had a serious job where she had to look professional.

And even though her clothes made her seem professional in some way, as she thought she was always really serious, which made her look inaccessible; if it wasn't for her natural beauty probably she would still be single.

Paige didn't like to admit it but out of her two siblings, she was the one that looked more alike to her mom. When she was a kid she had lighter hair but now she and Claire had the same auburn brown hair color and the same big eyes; Cassie and Liam had big eyes too but Paige had the same look as her mom, and she had the same serious expression sometimes. Liam in the other hand was her father's mirror image and Cassie was a mix of them both.

"I am going to talk with your Coach next week" Claire said

"Why?" Paige asked, actually it was a stupid question to make since she already knew the answer but she asked it anyways

"I want to be informed about your times, and know if you improve them properly" Claire said "This is your last year of high school, and if you want to go to Stanford you're going to need the best times you can get"

Paige sighed deeply again and felt the need to throw the now cold chocolate to her mom; she hated this with all she had, she hated to not be able to have an opinion here. She could just say 'I don't want to go to Stanford mom, I don't want to study medicine' she used to say it before but her mom was really stubborn and she wasn't going to let Paige dream about something else; Paige was born to be a doctor, and now that her two siblings had their own jobs she was the one left to follow her mom's steps… and she hated it.

Paige didn't see herself in a hospital, making surgeries and walking around the corridors checking on patients, she didn't even liked to see blood; and her mom expected her to be a doctor…

"I'm leaving" Paige said before her mom could speak again, she wasn't going to stay one more second there listening to Claire's words, she pretty much had the rest of Paige's life planned, and Paige hated it and the worst part was that she was starting to hate her mom too.

"Are you going to Pam's house? Give her my greetings" Claire said

Paige ran upstairs and closed the door of her room with such strength that it made the walls shake a bit; she stood in the middle of her room and rubbed her temples hard and fast as she thought, she was mad, and not just a bit mad; she felt like hitting something or just jumping through the window.

She sat on her bed and looked at her feet for a while; she could hear her mom talking over the phone downstairs, she was probably talking to one of her friends or maybe to some other doctor that called her asking for advice, Paige didn't know who would want to ask advice to Claire McCullers, as a doctor she was the best in her field, but as a mom… she had a lot to learn.

A tear escaped Paige's eye and she wiped it quickly as she clenched her teeth in anger; she was tired of her mom, ever since she Liam left her life there had been a living hell. They argued all day and Nick just preferred to stay in one side while all this happened.

Finally she stood up with decision, she was tired of being there and she surely wasn't in the mood to see her mom again so she grabbed a sweatshirt since it was a bit cold outside, put on some sneakers and ran downstairs.

She didn't say goodbye to her mom, she just exited the house in a rush and then breathed deeply as she started to walk to the only place she could feel safe now.

Pam's house was just two houses from her own house; something she was grateful for because it was starting to get dark and she didn't want to walk to her brother's apartment now, plus Pam was a better cooker.

She rang the bell a few times and waited for Pam to open the door. She heard some steps inside and someone yelling 'coming', then after a few seconds Pam appeared at the door and smiled brightly when she saw Paige.

"Paige!" Pam said happily as she hugged Paige tightly and pulled her into the house

"Hi Pam" Paige said softly

"I'm so glad that you're here, I thought you weren't going to come this week" Pam said

"I just didn't know where else to go" Paige said in a low voice.

Pam led her to the living room and they sat in the couch comfortably, she gave Paige a glass of juice and sat next to her eyeing her with a concerned expression.

She had gotten to know Paige as if she was her own daughter, after all of this years she knew when she was happy, when she was upset, or angry, and now, she could tell by Paige's face that she was a bit sad.

"I'm sorry for not coming over yesterday" Paige said

"It's okay, I didn't expect you to come after the news" Pam said, she knew that Emily's return will affect Paige

"I didn't know what to say"

"Paige, you don't have to say anything, I should have told you sooner but it took me by surprise" Pam said, she eyed Paige for a second and approached her a bit "But you're not here to talk about her am I correct?" She asked

"No" Paige said. Pam placed her hand atop Paige's knee and looked at her in the eye. She had an analytic look too, but instead of using it to judge people she always used it to find out if the other person was okay or not.

"Claire?" Pam asked. Paige nodded lightly and after that she felt her eyes watering. She looked down; Pam placed her hand on her cheek and stroked the skin softly, just a few seconds later Paige found herself crying.

She didn't know exactly why she was crying, maybe it was because of all the anger she felt right now, or maybe it was because she was tired of her mom controlling everything in her life, maybe it was just because of everything. After a while of crying she found herself lying on the couch, her head resting in Pam's legs as she sobbed loudly while Pam stroked her hair gently.

And a lot of time passed, she didn't know how much exactly but after a long while of sobbing and crying she started to feel her body tired and her eyelids heavy as she felt Pam's strokes on her hair, and she slowly started to fell asleep.

* * *

Emily placed the book on the table and rubbed her eyes softly, she didn't know what time it was but it must be late since it was a bit dark outside.

She looked at the clock and sighed deeply when she saw that it was eight o'clock, she had been there locked in her house for the past hours, ever since she arrived from school, Ezra asked her if she wanted to go hang out with him but she declined the offer; after all she was tired after her first day.

So she went home and just slept; she didn't even bother to change her clothes, she slept for a few hours and then changed into more comfortable clothes.

She watched TV, ate popcorn and drank a beer, then read the lesson she was going to be teaching tomorrow and then she started to read a book she wanted to read from a long time ago.

But now after a long time of reading and a long time of doing nothing there she was a bit bored…

She looked around her living room and sighed deeply, she was alone now, she had no one to talk to; she thought about her life in California, she had some friends there, they helped her through a lot of things and she was starting to miss them so bad.

For a moment she thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to move to Rosewood, but then she thought about what happened… and she definitely changed her mind, she was free now, maybe alone but she was free.

The loneliness started to have some sort of effect on her and suddenly she felt herself breathing hard and labored and sweating. Her heart beat was faster than usual and she could feel her body heavy; her chest ached and it was hard to breathe.

She stood up quickly and ran to the bathroom where she had her anxiety pills. She took one of them and swallowed it with the help pf some water.

Emily placed her hands on the sink and breathed deeply as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked away quickly and wiped the thin sheet of cold sweat that covered her forehead.

"I hate this" She mumbled as she started to walk outside the bathroom.

She entered her room and lied on the bed for a moment as she calmed herself after her anxiety attack, they occurred with less frequency since she was in Rosewood, but still when they happened it was horrible.

Emily hated taking pills, and she never needed them; the first time she had to take one was two days after going to the phycologist. She finally understood that she needed them if she wanted to have a normal live, because in that moment her life was a living hell.

The first attack was one day after an argument; she remembered it perfectly, the screams and the particular violence it had made her so scared that she panicked. And then, that fucking feeling of loneliness that invaded her.

She closed her eyes and after a while she felt better, her breathing was finally back to normal and her heart beat was more calmed.

Finally she sat down and looked around her room; she had her classes for tomorrow already prepared and she didn't have anything to do now so she decided that the best option was to go outside to breathe some fresh air.

Her first plan was to call Ezra, maybe he was free that night but unfortunately he didn't answer the phone so Emily did the only option she had besides her friend.

It was darker now, Emily put on a brown leader jacket and some jeans and exited her apartment with decision, she remembered her doctor's recommendations; she said to her that after an attack she shouldn't be alone, and she actually could use some company right now.

As she walked through the streets she could feel a soft breeze hitting her face, it was nice actually and kind of cool to have some cold after the heat that made in California.

Step by step, she finally arrived to the quiet neighborhood where her mom lived; she looked around the houses and stood in front of her mom's house trying to decide if this was a good idea or not.

They talked a lot when Emily went to see her the last time, but after that they hadn't talked; not that Emily didn't want to but it still felt weird and she didn't know how to handle the situation, so she preferred to go slowly and not rush anything.

After a while of hesitation and trying to decide if she should knock the door or not she finally did. As usual she heard someone walking inside the house and finally the door opened.

"Emily" Pam said happily as she wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter. Emily didn't have time to react; she smiled and returned the hug.

"Hi" She said.

"Come in" Pam said quickly as she grabbed Emily's hand pulling her into the house.

The door closed behind them and Pam walked Emily to the kitchen while she asked her for her first day of classes. Emily was glad that her mom didn't mentioned the fact that she didn't came to see her in a few days, she liked the fact that Pam was so understanding with her and that was taking things slowly. Also she noticed that Pam for some reason was whispering.

"I bet you did it perfectly today" She said as she poured hot water in a cup

"It was hard, I have so many students that I don't know how I am going to learn all those names but… I like my job" Emily said

"Don't worry, I am a disaster with the names" Pam said laughing "You'll find a way to learn them all"

"It was fine to be back at Rosewood High though" Emily said "I didn't remember it was so big"

"You used to spend half of the day there" Pam said

"Yeah"

"You loved to be in the swim team" Pam commented "I remember that you used to go to the pool one hour before anyone to be able to swim"

"I loved that pool" Emily said

"You used to say that you were going to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games" Pam said smiling "That was a nice dream"

"I guess… but it ended" Emily whispered

"Why don't you talk to Coach Fulton?" Pam suggested "You could help her someday at the pool, maybe she could use the help"

"Coach Fulton?" Emily asked surprised "That woman is still there?!"

"Yes, she seems even younger than before" Pam joked

"Wow"

"You could talk to her" Pam said

"I will" Emily said, it was actually a great idea; maybe she could help Coach Fulton with the team… that way she could be distracted for a longer time.

The phone rang and Pam exited the kitchen in a rush, she apologized to Emily saying that she was expecting an important call from job.

Emily grabbed her cup of tea and walked around the kitchen, she could hear her mom talking to someone upstairs and after a minute she decided to just walk around the house, in the end she didn't have to stay in the kitchen forever.

She was going to walk upstairs when she noticed that the living room lights were on, maybe Pam was watching TV there before she arrived, or she was just resting there; so Emily walked in there with the intention to sit on the couch and wait for her mom.

But when she walked in she was surprised by someone asleep on the couch. At first Emily panicked; she wasn't used to see someone other than her mom in that house so she thought that someone broke into the house but then she realized that that person was sleeping.

She approached the couch and eyed the girl, she was covered with a plaid blanket and had a hand resting under her head, using it as a pillow. Emily leaned a bit to see her face better and saw that it was Paige.

For a moment she asked herself what the hell was Paige doing in her house… then she remembered that she had been visiting Pam for the last years so maybe this was something normal.

Emily sat in the armchair that was near the couch and kept looking at Paige while she drank her tea.

Paige seemed to be so peaceful now… she had her mouth a bit opened and her breathing was steady and soft. Emily wondered how she felt after their meeting earlier that day, maybe she went there to talk about it with Pam.

She remembered Paige's face when she saw her, and that shy 'Thanks Mrs. Fields' that she muttered before exiting the class.

Paige never called her Mrs. Fields, she never called her any other name than Emily or maybe Ems, they used to use nicknames for one another but it felt really weird to hear Paige treat her just as a teacher knowing that they were such a good friends in the past.

But it was the past… a lot had happened since Emily left, and the sweet girl she used to know was now a grown up person and she didn't know her anymore.

Emily was still looking at her intently when Paige started to stir, she moved a bit first trying to readjust the blanket and then she opened her eyes to check where she was. She didn't remember falling asleep, the last thing she remembered was that she was crying cuddled to Pam's side and then she just woke up on the couch.

She rubbed her eyes softly and yawned as she sat down; then she adverted someone's presence next to her and turned her head to see who it was. Her heart stopped when she saw Emily sitting next to her.

Their gazes met for a brief moment and then almost immediately Paige looked down embarrassed, she rubbed her eyes again and felt a bit of pain, probably she had her eyes red…

"Hi" Emily said after a second of hesitation; she didn't know if it was a great idea to start a conversation with Paige, or if there was going to be a conversation. Paige seemed to be a bit uncomfortable, and Emily didn't know what else to say.

"Uh… hey" Paige mumbled after a second, trying to not seem so affected; she still didn't know how to react around Emily, it felt really weird.

Emily lifted uncomfortably in her seat and cleared her throat, she opened her mouth to say something but then she changed her mind closing her mouth and smiling softly.

"S-sorry" Paige said as she looked around

"For what?" Emily asked confused. Paige looked at her in the eyes but just for a second, then she just looked at her hands

"Y-you know… I am in your house…" Paige said with a voice that didn't sound like her own.

Emily looked around too and smiled, she tried to make eye contact with Paige but it only lasted a few seconds since Paige kept looking down.

"It isn't my house anymore" Emily said simply, Paige raised her head and looked at her

"Oh"

"I'm living at the center" Emily said

"I didn't know that" Paige mumbled

"It's okay" Emily said. There was a really uncomfortable silence after that. Paige placed her hands on her knees and Emily looked at her cup of tea trying to think on something to say.

It was obvious that things weren't going to be as they were before between them, which was really sad, Emily knew that it was her fault… but it was still disappointing, she really cared a lot about Paige and it was weird to have a bond so strong with someone and now it was as if nothing happened.

 _13 years ago_

Emily covered her mouth to suppress a yell, then she closed her eyes as a particularly gore scene occurred in the movie. Next to her Cassie held a big bowl full of popcorn as she ate handfuls of it without even paying attention.

The room was completely dark and silent, part from the TV that was in its higher volume. The movie had started less than half an hour ago and Emily was already scared as hell, she hated horror movies but her lovely friend Cassie loved them and she had a full collection of horror and gore movies that she had every intention to make Emily watch.

Another scary-gore scene appeared and Emily buried her face on Cassie's shoulder as she tried not to hear the screams and the blood. Cassie looked at her nonchalantly and ate another handful of popcorn returning her gaze to the movie.

"How the hell can you eat that?" Emily asked peaking over Cassie's shoulder to see the popcorn bowl

"I'm hungry" Cassie said

"I don't think I am going to be able to eat in a month" Emily said

"Don't be so exaggerated Em, it's just a movie"

"It's a fucking gore movie!" Emily said "I don't even know why I let you convince me to see this" Emily commented

"Because you love me, your best friend and because it was either this or playing videogames with Liam" Cassie said

"I prefer videogames" Emily whispered

"Come on, the movie is interesting"

"Oh yeah… I totally find interesting to see tons of blood and people dying around …"

"It's red painting" Cassie said simply "It's not even blood; real blood has other texture"

"It's gross anyways" Emily said

Cassie shrugged her shoulders and continued watching the movie without a word; with every second that passed Emily became more and more scared and it got worse when Cassie, the one suggesting to see the movie fell asleep…

The movie was halfway now and Emily was at the verge of tears, she hated gore movies and horror too, she preferred comedies or historic movies. A loud thud sounded in the other end of the room and Emily jumped in her seat covering her face with her arms.

She could hear soft steps and movements and the fact that the room was so dark wasn't helping; a scream sounded in the TV and Emily almost lost it, she was about to scream too when the light turned on and she saw a small figure at the door.

Paige was standing there with her yellow onesie and a sleepy face, she looked at the TV screen with a confused look and Emily turned it off quickly.

"Paige" She said, she stood up waking up Cassie; then she asked Paige to approach them. Paige walked to the couch and rubbed the sleep from her eyes

"I had a nightmare" She whispered holding back her tears. It was evident that she had been crying since she had her cheeks a bit wet and her eyes were red.

"What did you dreamt about?" Emily asked concerned, she lifted Paige in her arms and sat her on her lap. Paige buried her hands in Emily's shirt and rested her head on her chest

"I heard someone screaming…" Paige said "And there was a bad man"

Emily cleared her throat and glared at Cassie who was now yawning as she picked up the empty bowl.

"I told you to not put the volume so loud" Emily whispered

"She was sleeping" Cassie said

"She heard it" Emily argued

"Can I sleep with you guys?" Paige asked with puppy eyes.

Cassie stood up and crossed her arms over her chest; Emily always slept in her room when she had a sleepover there.

"No way little booger" Cassie said

"Please" Paige said looking at Emily

"We can let her sleep there until she falls asleep again" Emily suggested, Paige nodded frantically in agreement

"My little sister here is a fucking tornado" Cassie said "She moves a lot in her sleep, I am not going to let her sleep in my bed"

"Hey" Paige said suddenly "You said a bad word"

"What?" Cassie asked.

"You're not supposed to say them… mom will be mad at you" Paige said. Emily laughed and looked at Cassie

"Mom would not know it if we don't tell her" Cassie said

"I can sleep with you in your bed if you want" Emily suggested "Until you fall asleep again" She added.

"Yes, yes" Paige said happily

"Okay… if you want to" Cassie said

"Thanks Ems" Paige said hugging Emily

"I don't know what the hell did you do to my sister for her to love you so much… but keep doing it" Cassie commented as she started to walk to the door.

Emily stood up and lifted Paige in her arms and carried her to her room, Cassie eyed them and then she just walked to her own room that was next to Paige's and jumped on the bed falling asleep almost immediately.

"I don't like the screaming" Paige whispered "It was loud…" Emily placed her on the bed and lied next to her covering her and her own body with the blankets.

"I don't like it either" Emily said smiling

"Cassie likes" Paige said "She's always scaring me… she says is fun"

"Your sister is silly" Emily said, Paige laughed a bit

"Sometimes" she said. Emily placed a lock of Paige's hair behind her ear

"Yeah, sometimes, but she loves you a lot" Emily said

"I know… and you?" Paige asked concerned

"Me? what?" Emily asked

"You love me too?" Paige asked looking at her with her big brown eyes

"Of course" Emily said as she kissed the girl's forehead. Paige yawned softly and Emily smiled when she noticed how sleepy she was, she helped Paige lie comfortably, placing her head on Emily's chest and they reminded silent for a moment

"Okay little booger" Emily joked "Let's sleep now"

"Goodnight Ems" Paige mumbled

"Goodnight Paige"

* * *

 _Present day_

Emily placed her cup of tea on the small table in front of her and looked at Paige for a second, she tried to stay as calm as she could; she smiled softly at her but Paige just looked away trying to find something to say or something to do.

"You're really grown up" Emily said sincerely. Paige eyed her and then smiled; it was the first sincere smile she gave to Emily

"Thanks" she said "You too…" she said.

"Paige… I-"

Emily started talking but then Pam appeared in the living room not realizing that they were talking, even though if the conversation wasn't really interesting.

"Sorry Em, I was expecting that call" She said, she turned around and found Paige sat on the couch and noticed a strange tension there "Oh… I guess you woke up finally"

"Yeah… I am sorry Pam" Paige said apologetically "I didn't mean to fall asleep"

Pam sat next to her and smiled softly at her, Emily watched the interaction between them from her spot on the armchair.

"Don't worry sweetheart" Pam said with a sweet voice "You needed it"

"I guess"

"Are you feeling better?" Pam asked. Emily felt a sudden curiosity and was about to ask what happened but she kept her mouth shut.

"Yeah, I am definitely better now" Paige said

"Fine, you know you can sleep here if you want" Pam offered

"No" Paige said quickly. She looked at Emily and made eye contact with her, this situation was strange as hell and even though she had tons of questions to make she just stood up and tried to make up some excuse "I should go… I have things to do" She said

Pam raised an eyebrow and analyzed her for a second, Emily was still silent but it was obvious what was happening there, so Pam decided to no insist

"Okay, don't forget to come and visit me later this week" Pam said. Paige nodded and kissed her on the cheek.

"By Mrs. Fields" She said to Emily and then she rushed out of the house

"Mrs. Fields" Pam whispered once Paige was gone

"Yeah… it sounds weird to me" Emily said

"She doesn't even call me Mrs. Fields" Pam said

"She's mad at me" Emily said, she sighed deeply and looked down

"No, she isn't" Pam said. Emily looked at her "She's just confused and maybe kind of resented but I doubt that she's mad"

"Confused about what?" Emily asked. Pam moved closer to her and took her daughter's hand between hers.

"Emmy, she was eight years when you went" Pam said "She was really close to you and you went"

"I know… but I didn't thought she would remember" Emily said sadly

"She was a kid, but she wasn't stupid; listen, for a grown up is easier to deal with some stuff, at least technically, I learned to deal with it, Paige was a kid, she didn't know how to deal with it, so she had to deal with the confusion of not knowing how to deal with it" Pam said "It sounds weird but that's what happened"

"I never meant to hurt her… actually I never meant to hurt anyone, I was just young and blind"

"I know honey; but Paige is a person that has struggled with the rejection all her life, you know how Claire was with her back then and you were one of the most important people in her life, the one that accepted her the way she was besides her sister and her brother, imagine how she felt when you left"

"Rejected…" Emily whispered. Pam nodded softly and sighed

"Yes" She said

"I can't change what happened" Emily said

"I know, but you can apologize to her" Pam commented "She's a big softie" She said laughing

"I don't know… she don't want to talk to me"

"Of course, she's hurt, and she's stubborn as hell; but she has a good soul; she will end up listening to you, and trust me she wants to hear those words from you" Pam said

"It's going to be hard"

"Yeah, but you have a lot of time" Pam said "You can make it up to her, maybe you can be friends again"

"I would love that" Emily said as she sighed.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Mixed emotions

Paige was sat on the couch changing the TV channels without even paying attention to what she was watching; she just kept changing them as s eh waited for her brother to finish with what he was doing.

Caleb entered the living room holding two cans of beer in his hands, he looked at Liam who was sat at the table with the laptop and then he sat next to Paige and smiled devilishly as he handed her one of the beers.

"Thanks" Paige said as she took a small sip

"You know I shouldn't be giving you alcohol" Caleb said faking a serious face

"I'm eighteen" Paige said raising an eyebrow"

"Yeah young lady but you have to have twenty one to legally be able to drink alcohol" Caleb said "I can tell this to your sister the lawyer" He joked

"Please…. Cassie started to drink alcohol when she was fifteen… she's not the most indicated for this; plus my age never stopped you to invite me to that bar last year on the new year's party and get drunk with me" Paige commented

"That's true… what a hangover" Caleb said "But you were upset, you needed it"

"I know, and you're a great friend… irresponsible but great" Paige said

"Irresponsible, how nice" Caleb said "Anyways are you feeling better than last year?" He asked with a sudden concern. Paige sighed deeply and smiled trying to stay cool.

"I'm good" She said. Caleb eyed her for a second and raised an eyebrow

"Really?" He asked

"Yeah, it's hard okay? But I am definitely better, I just need to focus on my classes and the swim team and…"

"Maybe you should focus on find some other girl, you know forget about the past and be happy" Caleb said

"I am happy" Paige said a bit irritated "Seriously, I don't really want to meet anyone right now, I am doing perfectly being single"

"Okay" Caleb said raising his hands, Paige used to talk about pretty much everything with him and Liam but there were some issues that she found complicated to talk about and he knew that it was completely pointless to ask further about it.

"Okay people! Cassie's here!" Liam said proudly standing up and walking to where Paige was.

"Let's go" Paige said standing up. Caleb observed the two siblings sitting at the table and then he stood up and went to his room; in the end he didn't want to hear Cassie's high pitchy voice for an hour.

"Hi little booger!" Cassie said enthusiastically from the other end of the screen. She was dressed in a suit jacket and a white shirt. It was obvious that she was in her office and she seemed to be really professional. Paige remembered those times when she still lived in Rosewood and they were kids; Cassie used to dress in tight jeans, tiny skirts, her style wasn't definitely the 'office' kind, but there she was, running her own company with a friend and being a successful woman.

"Don't call me like that" Paige protested with a sigh. Liam smiled and just waved his hand to the screen.

"I am older so I get to call you whatever I want, get used to it" Cassie said

"Cassidy McCullers… always the same" Paige mumbled

"What did you say?" Cassie asked

Liam laughed and finally decided to talk, he knew how much Cassie loved Paige but at the same time he knew how his older sister liked to prank and bother Paige so he just cut the conversation.

"Hi sis" He said "You look good"

"Thanks Liam… I have a meeting in half an hour" She said

"Oh, so you're going to be able to talk just for half an hour?" Paige asked jokingly; the truth was that Cassie was the most talkative person in the world, she loved to talk and normally their skype sessions used to last two or three hours.

"Very funny" Cassie said "I just had something really important to say" She said in a serious tone.

"O-okay" Liam said "What is it?"

"I'm coming home" Cassie announced with a bright smile.

"Are you going to stay here?" Liam asked

"No, I am going for a few days, I have a few free days and I wanted to see my brother and my little sister" Cassie said

"That's great… when are you coming back?" Paige asked curiously

"Yeah, we definitely have to have a night just for us, like the old times" Liam said

"I am planning on going there the next week, I am not so sure yet"

"Please tell me that you're going to stay at home" Paige said "I can't cope with being alone there"

"Don't tell me… mom?" Cassie asked. Paige nodded and sighed deeply, the first one leaving home was Cassie, she went to study at the University of Yale; despite of her mother's wishes she decided to be a lawyer instead of a doctor; now she lived in New York.

And then Liam left the house, he was the only one that had a nice relationship with Claire, they never talked to much between them but her mom never pressured him to anything and they never had arguments like Paige and Claire did. He just got tired of listening to her mom's lectures and to hear the arguments between her parents and between Paige and her mom and he left.

So Paige was alone in her house living with her parents and wishing to finish high school to go away and not come back never again.

"I hate her" Paige said

"Don't say that P" Cassie said "She's just special…"

"Easy for you to say" Paige said

"Anyways, I am going to stay there, I talked to dad a few days ago so yeah, I'll be back in my old room"

"Nice" Paige said "Maybe Liam can be back in the house too"

"No way" Liam said laughing "I'm done with it, I am free, single and happy to not have to hear you and mom scream around"

"You have Pam" Cassie said "She's like your personal shelter"

"I don't think she is anymore" Paige whispered; it was meant to be just a thought but then she realized that she said it out loud. Liam looked at her and rubbed Paige's back softly, and Cassie looked at her confused

"Why?" She asked

"I thought you were okay with that" Liam said

"Okay with what?" Cassie asked; she didn't like to miss the information. Paige raised her head and looked at her brother

"I am… but it's just weird"

"What the hell am I missing?!" Cassie asked

"Emily" Liam said "She's back"

"WHAT?" Cassie asked surprised, she made a small pause as if she realized how much she raised her voice a second ago; she took a moment to process the information. "Emily Fields? That Emily?" She asked

"Yes" Liam said "That Emily"

"Are you okay little booger?" Cassie asked looking at her sister. Pretty much everyone that knew Emily and the McCullers siblings knew how close they were, and they knew how close Emily and Paige were, so Cassie felt a bit sad for her sister

"I'm fine" Paige insisted

"That's what you say when you don't know what to say about something" Cassie commented

"That's not true" Paige argued

"It is"

"It's not"

"Okay ladies" Liam interrupted before they started a stupid argument "The thing here is that Emily is here and Paige feels weird, that's all"

"Damn it must be hard… I mean she disappeared without saying a word… she doesn't deserve Paige's friendship anymore" Cassie said

"It's been a long time" Paige said "But the worst part it's not that"

"What is it?" Liam and Cassie asked at the same time

"She's my teacher"

"What?" Cassie asked "A teacher?"

"Yeah, she's the new history teacher…"

"Well… that's an interesting thing" Cassie commented

"The point here is… we're glad to have you back Cassie" Liam said "We can talk to Emily when you're here"

"I don't know if I want to talk to her anymore" Cassie said seriously

"Cassie… she was your best friend, of course you want to talk to her" Liam said

"You're right, I do, but not if she hurt Paige" Cassie commented worried about her sister. Paige smiled softly and sighed

"A lot of time has passed, I am okay" Paige said

"If you say so" Liam mumbled.

* * *

 _13 years ago_

Emily covered her mouth as she yawned; she had been a couple of minutes waiting outside the house and now she was cold and tired, but she was kind of happy, every time she got to see Paige or one of her siblings she felt happy.

Next to her a sleepy Paige walked in silence as she looked at her feet, she was always in a non-talkative mood in the mornings and today she seemed to be particularly upset.

Emily eyed her discretely, in other circumstances she would be talking about her day or about anything since she liked to talk to Emily but she seemed to be thinking too much about something. And finally a few steps more Emily stopped and looked at Paige; the girl looked up at her confused and sighed deeply.

"Why do we stop?" Paige asked in concern. Emily smiled softly at her.

"Why are you so serious?" Emily asked, Paige looked at her and then faked a smile trying to seem happy. Emily laughed but then Paige looked down

"I am not serious" Paige said

"Then why are you so quiet?" Emily asked "Aren't you happy to start school?" Paige looked at her thinking about the question and nodded

"I am"

"You were really happy about it yesterday" Emily commented.

Yesterday she had been at the McCullers house having dinner as many times before, Nick and Claire were working so they ordered a pizza and watched a movie and played games; Paige was really happy about her new year in school and she didn't stop talking about how cool it would be to see all her friends and know the new teachers, she actually made Emily want to start school too…

"I am not anymore" Paige blurted out with a soft voice. Emily looked at her surprised and kneeled in front of her to have better eye contact with Paige

"Hey" she whispered, she placed her hand in Paige's chin making her look up "What is wrong?"

"Why isn't mom taking me to school?" Paige asked with a week voice. Emily looked at her with sadness; she knew that Paige didn't have the best relationship with her mom, Claire seemed to be avoiding her every day and obviously Paige noticed that.

"Paige…"

"She promised me she would take me to school… because it's my first year…" Paige said at the verge of tears. Emily swallowed a lump in her throat and thought for a moment what she could say.

"Honey, your mom has a really busy job"

"She promised" Paige said "And then she said it was not important" She whispered. A single tear fell down Paige's cheek and her lip quivered softly.

Emily felt her heart twist and she felt incredibly bad for her, how could a mother be so bad with her child? It was Paige's first year in school and she just wanted her mom to take her to class one day, it wasn't a big event it was just a day but obviously Claire thought that her job was more important.

"Paige, listen to me" Emily said, Paige looked down and Emily reached her gaze seriously "Paige…" Emily repeated, Paige looked at her and Emily gave her a soft smile "You are important did you know that?" she asked

"Really?" Paige asked, Emily wiped the tear that was still on her face and smiled at her brightly

"Of course you are; your mom just can't see it but you are, and you know what?"

"What?" Paige asked curiously

"Maybe she's not taking you to school but… that way you got to spend time with me, aren't you glad?" Emily asked. Paige smiled for the first time that morning and nodded frantically.

"Yes" she said.

"Come here" Emily said happily as she opened her arms. Paige quickly obeyed and crushed her into a really tight hug; Emily had to place one arm on the floor to keep her from falling on her butt. Paige just buried her face on her shoulder as they hugged.

Finally Emily stood up and looked at the now smiling Paige that was next to her; Paige took Emily's hand and they started to walk again.

"I'm happy you're my friend" She said

"Yeah me too"

* * *

 _Present day_

Emily eyed the coffee machine at the teacher's room and gave it a soft slap trying to make it work; she was in desperate need for a coffee, she was tired in so many ways that she didn't know how to explain it.

After spending a couple of hours at her mom's house she went back to her apartment with every intention to sleep and rest for her next day but once her head hit the pillow she felt incredibly awake and even if she took a few sleeping pills she couldn't sleep well.

So now she was there feeling like a zombie trying to get the coffee machine to work with not much success…

"Fucking thing…" She mumbled angrily as she rubbed her temples.

"It's out of service" Someone said behind her. Emily turned around confused and saw Spencer walking to her with a small box in her hands

"Thanks… I didn't know it" Emily said sarcastically. Spencer raised an eyebrow and then gave her a small smile

"Sharp mood" Spencer said "Nice, I guess you need one of these too" She said; she grabbed a cup of coffee from inside the box and handed it to Emily.

"God bless you" Emily said as she took a big sip

"Mr. Martin, our excellent PE teacher here, broke the machine yesterday" Spencer commented "He's not a big friend of technology and machines in general"

Emily sipped her coffee and looked at Spencer, she seemed to be a serious person and she didn't like her in their first meeting, it seemed like today she was a bit friendlier since she gave Emily a coffee so Emily preferred not to think too much about it.

"I'm here ladies" Ezra said entering the room with a big smile on his face.

"Ugh no one was expecting you" Spencer said jokingly

"Thanks Spencer, it's great to be received with such love" Ezra said

"Why do you have so much energy at this time of the morning?" Emily asked, she was still feeling tired as hell

"He must be on drugs" Spencer joked

"Very funny, I don't do drugs; my only drug is coffee for the moment, I am just happy" He said

"You're not on your period right?" Spencer asked. Emily chocked on her coffee as she laughed, Ezra looked to both of them

"No my grumpy friend" He reached for something in his pocket and then waved a key in front of Emily and Spencer's face "I just got a new car" he announced

"In guy's terms that means you just got your period" Spencer said to Emily.

"Oh come on it's so cool and new… who wants a free ride later?" He asked "We could go out"

"Sorry Mrs. Fitz" Spencer said "But I have plans"

"What do you have to do? You need to go out of the lab someday" Ezra said jokingly. Spencer glared at him but didn't say anything; she just waved her hand at Emily and exited the room.

"What about you?" Ezra asked to Emily "Wanna hang out after school?" he asked.

"I don't know…" Emily said, she actually wanted to go out, she couldn't cope with more lonely afternoons at home but she was so tired that she didn't know if she wanted more the sleep or the party

"Come on, it'll be fun" Ezra said. Emily thought about it for a moment "I'll pay" Ezra said finally

"Okay…" Emily said "I can't decline such a great offer"

"Fine" Ezra said happily "I'll pick you up later"

The bell finally rang after a moment; Ezra put the key back in his pocket and exited the teachers room in a rush. Emily sipped the last part of her coffee and breather deeply before exiting the room to go to her first class.

She had class with sophomore year to start the day and she was already wishing for that class to be over. The first five minutes she just sat on the chair and looked at the book while trying to order everything she was going to say in her head. The students kept talking until she finally stood up and started with the lesson.

Emily had a lot of trouble to focus at first but finally her brain woke up and she could give an acceptable class; she kept thinking about her stuff and mostly about her conversation with her mom the night before.

* * *

After a few hours she started to feel the effect of not sleeping well at nights; she was with first grade making them a small surprise test, to know what they knew about history and after a few minutes she started to feel her eyelids heavy.

And as the minutes passed she found herself more tired, so she tried to do something to not seem like she was going to fall asleep anytime. She stood up a few times and walked around the class checking on the students, and watching as they wrote, then she sat and checked her phone, then she just entered the gallery on her phone and started watching the pictures. And finally she found herself sat at the table looking at the clock desperately wanting for her class to finish.

Fortunately, a few minutes later the bell rang and she breathed relieved; she really needed to breathe some fresh air to clear her mind before her last class of the day.

She walked to the cafeteria slowly; she didn't want to walk between a bunch of hungry students so she waited a bit and then walked into the place ready to eat something and clear her mind.

Emily tried to find Ezra in one of the tables, he said that he was going to eat there but for some reason he wasn't… maybe he was trying his new car; who knew. She was about to choose the regular teacher's table, where a few teachers were sat when she spotted Spencer sitting in another table not far from her reading a book as she ate a salad.

Emily walked to her and stood next to Spencer trying to catch her attention; Spencer noticed someone standing next to her and looked up. She saw Emily and just looked at her waiting for her to talk.

"Hello again" Emily said trying to be polite.

"Hi" Spencer said closing the book she had in her hands.

"Can I sit here?" Emily asked, she wished for Spencer to say yes; she really didn't want to sit alone. Spencer eyed her for a moment and smiled softly.

"Sure" She said; Emily placed her things on the table and sat next to Spencer. She opened the box where she had the food and took a vegan sandwich and a pineapple juice.

"What are you reading?" Emily asked curiously looking at the now closed book lying between them.

"Some scientific boring stuff" Spencer answered as she ate a spoonful of salad.

"Wow, I tried to read one of those books back in college… couldn't pass the second page" Emily said

"I found them interesting; don't you like to read history boring stuff?" Spencer asked

"Yeah, I love it" Emily said

She took a big bite of her sandwich and looked around the cafeteria eyeing the students and the teachers, the place was pretty crowded, but the rest of the teachers didn't seem to mind about the students, they were eating as they chatted quietly.

Suddenly, Emily's gaze stopped when she found a familiar face a few tables from her; Paige was sat at the table eating what it seemed to be a big sandwich as she talked with that tiny girl that was with her in class; Emily didn't remember her name well… Anna? Aria? Something like that.

For a second she completely forgot the vegan sandwich between her hands, or the conversation Spencer started next to her; she remembered her conversation with her mom about saying sorry and that stuff.

Paige was smiling, and it was a really sincere smile; she was even laughing as she talked; it was different to when she was at Pam's house last night and she saw Emily, she seemed to feel awkward and out of words, Emily remembered how they used to laugh when they were together in the past.

And then they made eye contact; Emily froze in her place when she saw that Paige was now looking directly at her. Their gazes met, but it was just for a brief second; Emily immediately looked down to her food and tried to focus on Spencer's words.

"Why were you sitting here alone?" She asked curiously a while later. Spencer looked at her as she thought her answer

"I don't know… I guess I like being alone sometimes" She said

"I thought you would be sat with Ezra" Emily said jokingly

"Ugh that idiot must be riding his new car now, he probably will be talking about it for months" Spencer commented

"How is that you hate him so much?" Emily asked jokingly

"Oh, I don't hate him actually… we're friends but I don't know, we have a weird friendship; our families know each other for a long time so I know him since we were kids"

"I see… then why don't you want to come with us?" Emily asked, Spencer looked at her confused and raised an eyebrow

"Where?"

"You know, to hang out, in Ezra's new car" Emily said with a jovial tone

"Oh… I just don't like to go out too much" Spencer said

"Me neither, but he said he's going to pay, plus it will be fun to not be locked at home for a day"

"You too huh?" Spencer asked "I'm kind of bored of being locked" She confessed

"I know"

"Okay" Spencer said finally

"Okay?"

"Yes, okay" Spencer repeated "But don't expect me to be the funniest person in the place"

"Don't worry, let's let Ezra be the funniest one"

* * *

Paige directed her gaze quickly to Aria when her eyes met Emily's; she didn't realize that she was in the cafeteria too until she saw her sat next to the science teacher Spencer Hastings. Paige did her best to try and stay cool and not look at her too much, the last thing she needed was for Emily to see her as a stalker who couldn't stop looking at her.

The thing was that after seeing Emily last night, Paige didn't know what she had to do exactly; she wanted to talk to her again, she had been thinking about it for a while and she didn't want to be hit by all the awkwardness in the world when she was around Emily; not only because of the good memories she had with her, mostly it was because now she was her teacher and she had to see her pretty much every day so she needed to end with all this.

But things weren't so easy; and suddenly, when her gaze found Emily's she felt again a bit awkward and weird and she just looked away ashamed trying not to give it much importance.

"Are you okay?" Aria asked when she noticed Paige's blushed face

"Uh… what?" Paige asked, she looked quickly in Emily's direction to check if she was still looking at her; she wasn't.

"Are you okay? You're a bit flushed" Aria commented worriedly

"I'm fine" Paige said quickly, she hated how easily her face turned red when she felt embarrassed. Aria approached her a bit and eyed her from a closer angle.

"Are you sure?" She asked as she eyed Paige. Paige nodded frantically as she tried to think of something to say to change the subject.

"Yeah, I am perfectly fine and…" Aria placed her hand on Paige's forehead and reminded silent for a moment

"It seems like you have fever" She commented

"No" Paige said abruptly pulling back. Aria looked at her curiously

"It's just that it's hot in here" Paige said "Really I am okay"

"If you say so" Aria said "You're acting a bit weird lately"

"Weird?" Paige mumbled

"Yes, ever since we started school you seem to be avoiding everyone" Aria commented "It's been a week since we saw each other outside school. Are you sure everything's okay?"

Paige reminded silent for a moment thinking about Aria's question; her sister was totally right, when she didn't know how she felt about something she always preferred to say that she was okay, the truth was that she felt a bit weird with the situation but at the same time she didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to talk about Emily and her in the past, she just wanted to forget about everything and have a new start.

But in the other hand she didn't want to lie to Aria, she was her best friend and she knew she could trust her; but she needed time.

"It's my mom" Paige said, she wasn't lying after all…

"What happened?"

"You know… she wants to control everything in my life. She's really keen on the idea of me being a doctor so she won't let me even dream about anything else"

"That sucks" Aria said

"I know, I mean do you see me as a fucking doctor?" Paige asked

"No… not really, I remember you passed out last years at Noel Kahn's party when Bridget cut her arm accidentally with that bottle" Aria said laughing

"There was so many blood…" Paige said

"Yeah, that was disgusting"

"I don't want to be a doctor" Paige said "I wish I could run away and start a new life somewhere else far away from my mom"

"Hey" Aria said "Don't think that okay? Things will work out in the end… you'll see"

Paige sighed deeply and looked at her, she wished that her words could be true someday but she doubted it. For the moment all she could do was focus on her classes

"What about we hang out after class today?" Aria suggested "We could go to my house or just go out; it will help you to clear your mind for a while"

"I don't know" Paige said; she wasn't in the best mood to go out; but maybe being out of her house and being with a friend would help her a bit, in the end her mom was at home today and she was definitely not in the mood to deal with her

"Okay" Paige said finally "Let's hang out"

The bell signaling the end of the lunch time rang and Paige and Aria picked up their things and walked to the hallway where their lockers were to pick the books.

Paige didn't remember what her next class was and she sighed deeply when she found out that she had history with Emily Fields next.

'Why is this happening to me?' She thought as she looked in her locked for the book. Next to her, Aria hummed a random song as she checked her schedule and grabbed her books. Their class started in a few minutes so they walked quickly through the hallway to the classroom.

* * *

The rest of the students were already there sat and talking about whatever thing they wanted to talk about but there was no sign of Emily… Ms. Fields

Paige sat at her table next to Aria and reminded silent for a while; Aria kept talking to her as if she was listening to her.

"Sorry people" Emily said as she entered the classroom with a rush "I couldn't find my bag" She said.

The students immediately stopped talking and looked at her; it wasn't a secret that half of the students in Rosewood High had a crush on Emily Fields. Emily had heard some of them talking about her between classes and she didn't know if she should take that as a compliment or feel worried.

She stood in the middle of the class and looked at the students as she thought about the best way to start the lesson.

She made a quick introduction of contemporary history and talked about the future exams she was going to make for the students. All the time, since she arrived to the classroom she had been avoiding Paige, she had looked at her a few times but she felt a bit weird making eye contact with her so she decided to just focus her attention in the rest of the people in the class.

It was near the end of the lesson that she saw that Paige was looking directly at her and this time she didn't look away when Emily found her gaze.

So when the bell rang Emily stood behind her table thinking about something she had wanted to do since last night.

"Miss. McCullers" She called with a soft voice. The rest of the students were exiting the class; and Paige's friend had gone a few minutes before so the only people left inside the class besides Emily was Paige and other girl that was picking up her stuff. "Can I have a word with you?" She asked to Paige trying to be polite. Paige looked at her curiously at first and then she nodded; she grabbed her bag and walked to the teacher's table.

Emily looked at her for a moment as she thought about what to say; Paige didn't say a word, she just stood there in silence looking at Emily with an expectant look.

"Are you feeling better?" Emily asked with concern. Paige understood that she was referring to their encounter last night at Pam's house, when Emily obviously noticed that she had been crying.

"Yeah… thanks" Paige said "I am better"

"Good" Emily said; there was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, the girl who was still in class finally made its way out mumbling a soft goodbye to Emily and Paige. They stood there looking at each other until Emily finally decided to speak

"Look… Paige" She started; Paige looked down trying not to feel so uncomfortable "I know this is hard for you"

"I'm fine…" Paige said again

"I know you didn't have the best time when I eft" Emily said ignoring Paige's answer. "And things are obviously not going to be as they were before so easily but… we could try"

"Try?" Paige asked

"I am really sorry Paige" Emily said finally swallowing her pride and looking at Paige's eyes with sincerity "I am sorry for disappearing the way I did, but… now I am back and this time for real and I don't really want you to feel awkward around me"

"I don't really know what to say" Paige confessed showing Emily a soft smile; Emily smiled back and felt a warmth in her heart at the sight, she hadn't seen Paige smile in a while.

"You don't have to say anything Paige, I totally understand that you want to take your time to think about it; I just wanted you to know that I am really sorry about what happened"

"So what you want is… a fresh start?" Paige asked "Something like that?" Emily eyed her, she didn't seem to be mad; one of the things that scared Emily the most was to see Paige angry at her, or if she didn't want to forgive her.

"Yeah, something like that" Emily said. Paige reminded in silence for a moment, thinking about it, now that nine years had passed since Emily left things were a lot different; Emily wasn't that same teenage girl and Paige wasn't that innocent girl anymore, but now they had the opportunity to start again.

"I… would love that" Paige said nodding. Emily smiled brightly and breathed relieved.

"Thanks" She whispered.

For a moment Paige thought that Emily was going to hug her… it was strange how something that they did so frequently in the past now felt so weird. So instead of a hug Emily extended her hand to Paige shyly.

Paige looked at the hand and shook it with the same shyness at first, but as the seconds passed they didn't release each other's hands; they continued with their hands joined as they looked at each other.

"Just do me a favor" Emily said as they finally separated their hands awkwardly

"What?" Paige asked

"The next time we meet in my mom's house, please don't run away" Emily said "It would be nice to see you there"

"Fine" Paige said. They stood there for a moment and then Paige decided that she had to go; she grabbed her bag and started to walk to the door. Emily looked at her as she went and then started to pick up her books

"Oh… Emily" Paige said, Emily turned around and looked at Paige surprised; she called her Emily…

"What?"

"Thank you" Paige said softly as she smiled. Then she disappeared through the door, Emily stood there for a second as if she just dreamt what happened, she was incredibly glad that this turned out so good… she smiled brightly as she finished picking up her stuff.

"Thanks to you" She whispered before leaving.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Hanging out night

 _9 years ago_

'She's gone'… those words were still in Paige's mind as she walked down stairs with her brain completely collapsed and a growing pain in her heart; it was funny how much her life changed so drastically in just a few minutes, she woke up feeling pretty good, with nothing to worry about except picking up her clothes to go to the park and then her sister entered her room with a really serious face.

Cassie appeared in Paige's room knowing that the news were going to hurt her sister too much; she actually hated to be the one doing this but her parents weren't at home as always and her brother was locked in his room probably upset about what happened too.

Paige was happily humming a song as she picked some clothes from her closet, today was actually a special day; it was Saturday, and maybe Saturdays weren't so special for the rest of the world but they were for Paige, it was her day with Emily; ever since they started to bond two years ago they started to hang out every single Saturday.

It started the day Cassie had a big party to go to and she couldn't take care of her little sister, and obviously Claire wasn't going to let Paige alone with her brother, since he was a bit irresponsible since he was just twelve at that moment so Emily turned out to be the perfect baby sitter.

And after that day every Saturday Emily went to the McCullers house to pick Paige up and they went to the park or to see a movie… Paige just loved it; but the other reason why she was so happy was because her birthday was really close; it was going to be in a few weeks and she was excited because Emily promised her that she had a surprise for her.

So when Cassie went to her room to tell her the news she knew that Paige was going to have a really bad time.

She stood in the middle of the room fidgeting nervously with the hem of her pajama shirt as she looked at her sister who was now trying to put a shirt. Cassie didn't really know how to tell her this, it was not so easy; half an hour go or so Pam called her, she picked up the phone with her usual cherish tone thinking that it was probably Emily instead of her mother but then she listened to Pam's broken voice and she started to feel worried; and her heart stopped when Pam told her that her daughter was gone.

That same morning, around eight; two hours before Pam called Cassie; she went to talk to Emily, they had a big argument the previous evening and they hadn't talked ever since, so Pam wanted to talk to her daughter before going to work to clear things, but for her surprise when she entered the room it was completely empty; Emily was gone and at first Pam thought that something had happened to her but then she found the note Emily left for her in the kitchen.

Two hours later she called Cassie; her intention was to talk to Nick McCullers or his wife but since they weren't at home she just told her older daughter.

Emily left around two in the morning when she was sure her mom was sleeping; she had been preparing this for over a month and now everything was ready; she grabbed her stuff and exited the house with no intention of coming back. The reason was she left had a name; and that name was Maya, the girl she met a while ago and the girl who had been her first girlfriend and the girl who taught her a lot of things about herself than she didn't even know.

The thing was that Maya seemed to be a nice girl but she also brought a lot of trouble; she was a nice student and with a promising future in the music world, but she also started having problems with drugs and when Pam found out about this she did everything that was in her hand to put distance between Emily and Maya.

This obviously didn't work since a few months later Emily ran away from Rosewood with Maya and she didn't saw her ever again.

But Cassie obviously wasn't going to tell this to her now almost year old sister; she couldn't tell her this, even though she was going to find out. It was no secret for Paige that Emily had a girlfriend; actually she was one of the first persons knowing that Emily was gay after Cassie and Pam.

Paige didn't really liked Maya, she was rude to her and tried to make Emily busy so she couldn't go and see her but she didn't hate her either, Emily tried to not talk too much about her in front of Paige and that was all.

Cassie sat down on Paige's bed and asked her to sit next to her; this was a hard moment and Paige started to figure out that something wasn't good when she saw her sister's face.

"Hey sis" Cassie said trying to make the moment last. Paige looked at her and smiled; but her smile disappeared when she saw the worry and the sadness.

"Hi" Paige said in a whisper as she wondered what had happened "What is it?" She asked. Cassie took a deep breath and thought that it was time to say it, she couldn't keep it any longer.

"Paige… I have to tell you something" She started. Paige looked at her with a curious look "And it's not something good"

"A-are mom and dad okay?" Paige asked; she remembered that day a few years ago when her dad had a small car accident when he was headed to a medicine seminar in Philly, it wasn't something really important since he only had a twisted wrist and some cuts on his head but Paige was always worried when he had to go out of the town.

"Yes little booger, they are fine… this is not about them" Cassie said.

"Why are you sad?" Paige asked, she started to grow impatient so Cassie placed her arm softly around her shoulders.

"Paige… this is about Emily" Cassie said; Paige's face turned really serious as she looked down trying to process all the information her sister was going to say "She went, this morning… she's gone"

Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked at her sister in concern; Paige seemed as if someone just kicked her in the stomach.

"Went" She whispered "Where?" Paige asked

"I don't know"

"Is she going to come back?" Paige asked. In her face was a small hint of something… maybe it was some kind of hope, but Cassie knew that it was only because her sister was too young to understand what happened, or at least to understand it fully.

The silence was never a good answer and when Paige saw that her sister struggled to find the words she started to panic. Cassie sighed deeply and looked at Paige not really knowing what to say, she herself didn't know the answer.

Paige stood up slowly and looked at Cassie with a look of hurt in her face; she stared at the floor for a second as if she was thinking about what to do.

"No" She whispered

"Paige" Cassie said as she stood up too trying to comfort her sister but Paige pulled back abruptly

"NO!" She yelled at her sister and then she started to run. Cassie felt her heart twist and sighed deeply as she thought about what to do. Her sister was a really sensitive person, first of all because she was just a kid and second because she had a really pure soul and she always saw the good stuff in people so when she got a disappointment she didn't know how to deal with it; that was pretty much what was happening with her mom and now with Emily.

Finally after a moment of hesitation she decided to run after her sister, she didn't want Paige to go so far mostly because she didn't want her to get hurt or something so she tried to catch her before she reached the front door, but it was too late. Fortunately she saw that Paige was headed to the Fields house so she decided to not follow her any further; she will wait for her at home.

The words Cassie just said were lingering on Paige's mind as if they were going to burn her brain; she couldn't be serious, Emily wasn't gone, she had to pick her up in half an hour, she couldn't go… Emily was going to come for her.

She ran out of the house and the first place she thought about going was Emily's house, she had to see it with her eyes; she had to make sure that Emily was still there; maybe she just went to buy something and now she was back at home.

She stood by the door and knocked it a few times until she got a response; she heard some steps approaching it and she waited until someone opened the door waiting that maybe that someone was Emily but she was surprised to see Pam.

Pam Fields had a really sad expression in her face; she had her eyes red and puffy probably from crying and her cheeks were wet with tears; she looked at Paige for a second trying to find the words to ask her what was she doing there.

"Paige…" She said. Paige had a really, really serious expression in her face, and she was pale as if she just saw a ghost or something.

"I'm looking for Emily" Paige said with a week voice. Pam swallowed the massive lump in her throat before talking and took Paige's tiny hand to get her into the house.

Paige looked around several times on their way to the living room trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of Emily; maybe she was at the kitchen, or in the bathroom…

Pam sat down in the couch and asked Paige to join her, she reminded silent for a moment as she thought, probably Cassie told Paige already about Emily, that was the reason why Paige was there but obviously the girl couldn't believe it, Pam couldn't believe it either.

"She's not here" Pam said, her voice cracked a bit and she chocked back a sob covering her mouth with her palm. Paige looked at her worriedly with watery eyes.

"But… she was going to come for me" Paige said in a soft whisper; she felt a tear falling from her eyes.

"I know sweetheart, but she left" Pam said "I'm sorry" She wrapped her arm carefully around Paige's shoulders pulling her closer

"Why did she left?" Paige asked in a sob

"I don't know" Pam answered "She didn't want to be here anymore" She said, she didn't know if Paige was ready to hear the whole story yet; she obviously would tell her in later years.

Paige's lip quivered and she sobbed loudly as more tears came to her eyes, the sight made Pam start to cry to and after a moment they found themselves crying in Pam's couch hugged to each other. Paige buried her face in Pam's chest as she sobbed and Pam rested her chin on Paige's head.

"I want her to be back" Paige whispered

"I know… me too"

* * *

 _Present day_

Paige looked down at the drink between her hands, she would rather to have a beer or something stronger now but she had to drink a damn soda instead of alcohol; she could do the false ID thing but she didn't want to get caught, she was too young to be in the police files or just to be kicked out from the bar so instead she decided to order something 'legal' for her; she could drink beer in her brother's house later.

Aria was next to her talking over the phone with her dad, apparently she forgot to tell him where she was and now he was worried looking for her everywhere.

They were both currently sitting at the wooden counter of the Brew, they were going to go to a pub outside the town but it wasn't the weekend yet and they still have class the next day so they decided to go somewhere close and just have a nice dinner there.

"Okay" Aria said as she ended up the call

"Did you get a lecture from daddy?" Paige asked jokingly

"Very funny, he tried to do it but you know; he just ended up saying the typical 'don't you dare to be late' and that stuff" Aria said

"Great" Paige said "I don't think my mom cares what time I get home…" Paige said

"That's a point in your favor" Aria commented "My dad is really overprotective with me"

"That's why Mike arrives always at six in the morning and he doesn't get caught right?" Paige asked

"Yeah… life is unfair" Aria said; Paige smiled softly and then looked down once again, she had been thinking about some stuff since she had that awkward but kind of nice talk with Emily… Ms. Fields, a few hours before.

Mostly she had been thinking about some events of the past, she had been thinking about some memories she didn't know she had, she remembered a few things about Emily, how close they were… and then she remembered something she thought she had forgotten completely, the day Emily left; she tried to burry that memory deep in her soul trying to forget the pain and today it suddenly popped out without warning.

"Hey" Aria said when she noticed Paige's mood "Everything okay?" she asked. Paige sighed and looked up.

"Yeah, actually I am fine" She said

"You don't seem very fine…" Aria said

"It's just a slight head ache" Paige said "But really I'm okay"

"Do…do you want to go home?" Aria asked "We could always head to my house and order a pizza there"

"No, seriously, that won't be necessary, I want to stay here" Paige said

"Okay… but tell me if you feel worst" Aria asked

"I will"

"But seriously Paige… I've noticed that you are acting weird lately… and I know I already told you this but I am starting to get worried; you used to tell me everything" Aria said seriously. Paige looked at her and smiled softly, she would have to tell her sooner or later.

"I am just having a hard time with something" Paige said "But it's getting better, I promise I will tell you as soon as I can"

"Fine… but just try to have fun for one night" Aria said "I don't know what is troubling you but, I will try to help to keep you distracted" She said smiling

"Thanks"

A waiter came finally with their orders, Paige had ordered a big burger with fried chips and another soda, and Aria had ordered a massive vegan sandwich with a salad and a bottle of water.

"Enjoy ladies" The waiter said politely

"Thanks" Paige said to a mouthful of food since she already bite her food. Aria looked at her for a second; that burger was giant and it had bacon besides the normal burger and some other stuff she didn't want to know.

"I don't know how you can eat that" Aria said as she returned her attention to her healthy sandwich.

"It's super good" Paige said wiping the rest of sauce that was in the corner of her mouth.

"It's a bomb of calories" Aria commented

"Well _Miss. Eat everything healthy_ " Paige said "I don't care, I love calories; calories are the best thing in the world"

"You only say that because you can eat everything you want without getting fat" Aria said "I have to be careful with the food" She said sighing "I hate it"

"You're fine" Paige said looking at her

"Yeah because I eat healthy, you suck… you're always eating a lot and you're like super fit"

"That's because of the swimming" Paige said "I train a lot"

"I just go to the gym on Saturdays" Aria said "You eat like a boy McCullers" she added as she saw Paige taking a big bite of her food.

"I learned it from my brother" Paige said as they both laughed.

* * *

Emily sighed deeply as she eyed her clothes; she was standing in front of her closet waring only her underwear as she tried to decide what to wear. She was only going to have a drink with Ezra and Spencer, it wasn't a big deal but she didn't want to go with the same clothes she was wearing to school in the mornings; her black skirts and buttoned shirt were fine but not for a hangout night; so she had to find something else.

The thing was that it had been a long time since she went out with friends so she didn't remember what she used to wear. The first thing she decided to try, was a dress, it was a black simple dress, not too fancy but not too informal; she tried it on and decided to not wearing it since it probably was too much, besides it let too much cleavage to the sight.

She took it off and tried on some black jeans and a green plaid shirt; she looked at her reflection in the mirror and it took a moment for her to decide that she didn't like it.

Finally after a few more outfits she decided to wear the same black jeans with a white buttoned blouse; she left a couple of buttons opened, revealing a bit of cleavage, she didn't feel like hiding her body anymore, it felt weird but at the same time she felt kind of 'sexy' doing it, she found herself smiling stupidly at the mirror and then she stood there looking to her reflection.

She didn't really know why she was giving so much importance to her clothes tonight; she wasn't going to meet anyone, and it wasn't her intention too, she was just going to drink something with two friends, nothing more.

For a moment she felt like crying; she didn't know why but she felt as if she was going to cry; fortunately she took a deep breath and that feeling passed quickly. Her phone rang for a moment and she saw that it was a missed call from Ezra, which meant that he was outside waiting for her.

She grabbed her purse and checked that she was wearing anything she needed; she also checked that she turned all the lights off and that she was wearing her keys and once she was sure she had everything she exited the apartment and rushed down stairs.

"Hi lovely lady" Ezra said, he was standing near his new car with a bright smile; it was a big black car with black windows and a sportive design, it was kind of cool actually.

"Wow" Emily said surprised

"You like it?" Ezra asked proudly

"Yeah" Emily said "How did you got to pay this? Our teacher's salary is good… but not so good" She commented

"Let's just say an early Christmas gift" Ezra said; Emily looked at him curiously but didn't say a word.

He opened the back door for Emily and invited her to go in; she sat on the back sit smiling at Ezra for being such a gentleman and then noticed that Spencer was already sat on the passenger seat.

"Hi Spencer" Emily said. Spencer turned around to face her for a moment and smiled softly at her

"Hey" She said

"Ready for the party?" Emily asked jokingly

"Not really…" Spencer said "I'd rather be at home with my books"

"Come on, it'll be fun"

"Yeah" Ezra said as he entered the car "It will be really fun, three friends hanging out… sharing nice moments… totally love it"

"If you say so" Spencer said.

"You're such a boring person Spencer" Ezra said laughing "You should have fun, live your life a little bit, meet more people, get drunk"

"Boring?" Spencer asked "Excuse me if I don't like to end up throwing up in a trash can in front of the police station"

"That only happened once" Ezra said embarrassed

"In front of a police station?" Emily asked

"Here you have Mister Funny Guy" Spencer said jokingly

"It only happened once" Ezra repeated

"Let's hope it doesn't happen again; now drive" Spencer said.

Ezra started the car finally without telling the girls where they were going; Spencer obviously figured it out when they were half way to the place, Emily in the other hand was just enjoying the ride too much so she didn't pay attention to the road.

Ezra decided to ride for a while before stopping to have the drinks and he drove around the center for fifteen minutes smiling proudly all the way.

And finally he decided to park the car, Spencer thanked this since she didn't really want to be in that car, she always preferred to walk or ride her motorbike, and Emily finally realized where they were.

"The Brew?" She asked with a smile as she exited the car. Spencer stood next to her with her arms crossed over her chest and looked at her with a raised eyebrow

"What did you expect? The Hilton?" She asked "We're in Rosewood"

"Yeah, we don't have much places to go" Ezra agreed

"I missed this place so much" Emily said still smiling as she eyed the place, she always liked it and now that it was close to where she lived she was planning on go there at least once a week.

"Let's go ladies" Ezra said offering his arms to Spencer and Emily; Emily obeyed quickly and wrapped her arm around Ezra's, Spencer at first glared at him with a killing glare but then accepted the offer and they walked into the place 'arm in arm'

"It's pretty full tonight" Spencer commented as they made their way inside; the Brew was a small place but a lot of people used to go there and today it was particularly crowded, there were people around the tables, standing next to the bathrooms, at the counter…

Ezra eyed the place quickly and found a table that had been left by the previous clients a few seconds ago; he released the girls arms and ran to the table to save it.

"It's our lucky night" He said with a bright smile; Emily laughed and sat on the chair as she looked around eyeing every detail of the place

"Shut up and order my drink" Spencer said jokingly as she sat next to Emily "I'm thirsty" then she placed her hand on her stomach "and hungry"

"Yeah me too…" Emily said; they both turned to look at Ezra who was quietly reading the small menu on the side of the table

"Someone said that was going to pay?" Spencer said, Emily laughed and nodded in agreement

"I remember that" She added.

"I see you two have a good memory" Ezra said placing the menu back on the table

"I'm a scientific, I have a privileged mind" Spencer said

"And I am a woman… I have the power of remembering the important things" Emily said. Ezra looked at them and finally accepted that he had to pay; so he asked the girls what they wanted to drink and eat and went to the counter to order it.

"I kind of feel bad for him now" Emily said to Spencer once they were alone in the table

"He deserves it for being so insistent about the car thing" Spencer said

"He sure has money" Emily said, she knew Ezra for a while now, but she never had the opportunity to meet his family or know much details about them.

"Oh yeah, definitely, his family is one of the richest families around" Spencer said

"Wow"

"His dad is an architect, just as my dad" Spencer started "They're friends since college so they worked on a lot of projects together; when they were younger they started a company together and well, that's how they made their fortune"

"So you're rich too" Emily said

"Correction, my family is rich, I am just a science teacher" Spencer said

"I bet you don't live in a two bedroom apartment" Emily said laughing

"Touché, I live in a house but I bought it with the money I made working for my dad when I was twenty"

"How's that you wanted to be a teacher?" Emily asked curiously, not that she wanted to complain, but Spencer didn't seem the kind of person that was a teacher

"I studied science and biology at college, actually my field was mostly orientated to work in the lab, you know making researches, testing products, I wanted to work for medicine but I don't know, I worked there for a while but my boss thought it would be better for me to work as a teacher because I didn't know how to work with people and…"

"Wait… you are working as a teacher because you didn't know how to work with people?" Emily asked

"Basically; plus the principal asked me to teach there after the previous science teacher got fired so… here I am" Spencer said.

Emily smiled at her, she was about to say something when finally Ezra arrived to the table holding three beers.

"Here" He said handing one to Emily and the other to Spencer "This is so we can start with a small drink" he said as he sat "The waiter will come with our food in a moment"

"Good, because I'm starving" Spencer said as she sipped her beer; Emily took a small sip and then realized that Spencer was still drinking, she didn't even stop to breathe

"Easy, Spence, you're going to choke" Ezra said

"Shut up" Spencer said "I am enjoying my drink"

"I thought you didn't like to drink" Ezra said

"I am doing an exception" Spencer commented

"For the exception" Emily said as she raised her beer; they all raised their beers and then drank a bit as they chatted quietly.

* * *

The night was going on really well; Emily couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun. After their first round of drinks Ezra ordered another and also they ate a lot of fried chips and sandwiches; Spencer turned out to be really bad at drinking and at the fourth beer she was already feeling the effects of the alcohol.

But this actually was pretty fun since she forgot all her seriousness and revealed an interesting fun personality Emily didn't know she had.

Finally it arrived a point of the night when Ezra had found a nice girl to flirt with and Spencer was just too drunk to keep with the gossip with Emily; actually she was starting to fall asleep. Emily looked at her as she rested her head on the table.

"This is why I don't drink" Spencer said with a week voice. Next to her a big glass of water that Emily ordered for her a few minutes ago.

"We should probably go" Emily said, it wasn't late; actually it was just around eleven but the state Spencer was in wasn't the best knowing that she had a class tomorrow.

"No" Spencer said "I'm having fun"

"You're drunk" Emily said

"Yep… look at him" Spencer said laughing as she pointed to Ezra, he was sat with a tall blonde girl talking about something really interesting

"At least someone's having fun" Emily said; she ran her gaze through the place, it was now less crowded than before, but there were still some people.

She saw a group of girls at the corner of the bar and thought about how it felt to flirt with someone… she didn't even remember how to approach a girl, or how to even flirt.

The girls were chatting as they laughed and Emily remembered those times when she was a teenager and she and Cassie used to go to the pub to flirt with people, those were nice times.

Now things had changed; she felt a bit old, and she felt as if she was out of the league, it was true that she sometimes missed to have someone by her side; to feel someone touch her… or kiss her… but then she just remembered that things weren't so easy. She was probably better alone.

Her gaze continued moving along the bar and looking stranger's faces and couples until it landed on a familiar figure. For a moment she thought it was a mistake; she had to look twice to check if it was true but it was; Paige was right there in the same place as her sitting at the wooden counter again with that tiny girl, Emily always had trouble to remember her name.

Emily could only see Paige's back but she knew it was her, it was obvious, she had that special auburn brown color hair and when she turned around to face her friend Emily could see her unique button nose and big eyes.

She spent way too much time looking at her until she finally decided that she had to look somewhere else before someone would notice; then she thought if it was appropriate for a student to see her teacher drinking at a bar in the middle of the night…

"I need to pee" Spencer said suddenly dragging Emily out of her thoughts. She turned to face her drunken friend and saw her struggling to stand up.

"Need any help?" Emily asked as she saw that Spencer wasn't able to stand on her feet. Spencer placed her hands on the chair to steady herself and then took a deep breath.

"I'm fine" She said as she started to walk to the bathroom "I'll be right back" She said

Emily stood up and followed Spencer from behind trying to make sure that she didn't fall to the floor or tripped with someone. Fortunately Spencer made it to the bathroom without incidents and Emily breathed relieved; she didn't feel like helping a drunken person to pee today. She turned around to go back to her table when she saw that tiny girl that was always with Paige walking past her in the bathroom's direction.

She stared at her for a second and then looked where Paige was supposed to be sat; and she was there, now sitting alone as she drank a soda and looked at her phone.

Emily smiled softly and decided to approach her; maybe they could start with a small talk at a bar, it was a neutral space after all and she really wanted to see if Paige was really okay with having a fresh start; Emily really wanted to have a friendship with her again.

"Hey" She said with a bright smile as she tapped on Paige's shoulder to catch her attention. Paige turned around startled at first and then her expression turned into surprise when she saw it was Emily.

"Em…Ms. Fields… Hi" Paige said politely after she almost spitted out part of her drink; the surprise of seeing Emily at the Brew was too much and she almost spitted out her soda on the girl's face.

Emily laughed at the action and grabbed a napkin from the table and handed it to Paige as she smiled sweetly at her.

"Here" She said; Paige took it and wiped the droplets that fell from her mouth as she blushed a bit.

"Thanks" She said embarrassed when she finished. Emily smiled at her again and they just reminded silent for a while looking at each other.

"How are you doing?" Emily asked suddenly; she slapped herself mentally at the question but she already asked it so she waited for her response. Paige placed her drink on the counter and turned to fully face Emily. For a second her eyes travelled to the soft skin in the teacher's neck and the small spot of cleavage that was revealed by the blouse. She blushed immediately when she noticed what she was doing and directed her gaze once again to Emily's eyes.

"Uh… I am fine" She said "Yeah just hanging out with a friend… and you?" She asked curiously.

"Same here" Emily said "It's been a long time since I've been here at the Brew" she added

"We used to come here a lot" Paige commented nonchalantly; Emily looked at her with a soft smile probably caused by the memory and Paige realized what she just said

"Yeah, I remember; you loved the strawberry smoothies they made on Saturdays" Emily said

"I remember" Paige said smiling sincerely "I still like them though" She added

"We could come here someday… you know like the old times and try one of those smoothies" Emily said shyly.

"As a part of the fresh start right?" Paige asked as she sipped her drink. Emily thought about it for a moment and then nodded

"Yeah, of course, I really meant it when I said that I am sorry and that I wanted to start again… we were really good friends" Emily said; she smiled at all the memories that crossed her mind in that second, she had tones of memories with Paige pretty much at every single corner in Rosewood.

"Yeah, I missed that" Paige said sadly; she looked down for a second.

"Me too" Emily said.

"Oh my God! Paige!" Aria's voice came from a spot behind Emily "Paige! Ms. Hastings, our science teacher is at throwing up at the bathroom!" she said as she laughed. Paige and Emily turned to see her "You have to see this, come!" Aria said.

Emily's face turned serious for a moment and then she just made a confusion expression; she understood that Aria was talking about Spencer…

Paige in the other hand tried to tell Aria discretely that Emily was standing there next to them, but Aria was still asking her to hurry up; until a few seconds later she noticed Emily.

"Oh… hi Ms. Fields" She said with a polite voice

"Where is Ms. Hastings now?" Emily asked trying to maintain her calm.

"She's in the bathroom, I don't think she's feeling well" Aria said

"Gosh…" Emily said.

She walked to the bathroom's direction without saying a word; this couldn't be good, it couldn't be good that a student could see her teacher drunk… what were they going to say tomorrow when they see Spencer?

* * *

The bathroom fortunately wasn't really far from where she was so she arrived there in a few seconds and entered the place looking around to see if she could find her friend.

One of the stalls was open and there was someone sitting on the floor with a labored breathing; Emily approached her and saw Spencer with her face resting on the toilet as she tried to catch her breath.

"Here you are" Emily said as she breathed relieved

"Hi" Spencer said smiling softly; she then turned to the toilet and vomited once again "I think I am done with alcohol" She added

"I think so" Emily said. The bathroom door opened and Paige and Aria entered the place with worried faces

"Is she okay?" Aria asked pointing to Spencer

"Miss. Montgomery" Spencer said "What are you doing here?" She asked

"She just needs to sleep" Emily said "I have to take her home"

"Do you need help?" Paige asked "I know where she lives"

"Uh… we're here with…"

"Mr. Fitz?" Aria asked "He's outside talking with some guys"

"Oh well" Emily said, this couldn't get any worst; two of her students had seen the science teacher drunk as hell and their English teacher drinking, flirting and talking to some guys… nice

"I have my brother's car here, we can sit her on the backseat, I don't mind if she vomits there… we can clean it later" Paige said. Emily thought about it for a second; Spencer was kind of wasted now and Ezra's car was new… she didn't know if it was a great idea to go home with a student but also it wasn't a good idea to place a drunken person in a new car.

"Okay" Emily said finally "Let's go"

"You guys take her home… I have to go now" Aria said

"Aren't you going to help?" Paige asked, she didn't know if she wanted to be left alone with Emily

"My dad said before midnight and there's only five minutes left for it so I have to go" Aria said apologetically

"Okay…" Paige said, Aria exited the bathroom in a rush and Emily and Paige looked at each other for a moment

"I guess we should help her stand" Emily said as she walked to Spencer

"Yes" Paige agreed.

"I'll grab this arm, take her by the other" Emily said as she placed Spencer's right arm around her shoulder.

Paige did the same with the other arm and then they helped her on her feet carefully trying not to move her too fast

"Are you okay?" Emily asked to Spencer. Spencer nodded softly

"Did she drink too much?" Paige asked

"Actually she didn't" Emily said

"I don't like alcohol" Spencer commented as she was dragged out of the bathroom

Emily and Paige carried Spencer carefully outside the Brew and walked to the car trying not to trip with something on the way; Spencer had a better color on her face now that she received some fresh air and she seemed to be more coherent.

"Let's place her in the back" Paige said as she opened the car.

Emily held Spencer while Paige opened the back door of the car and they both helped her lie on the back seat. One she was there lying comfortably Spencer closed her eyes and she seemed to be asleep.

"That was hard" Emily said as she took a deep breath

"Yeah"

"So, you said you know where she lives right?" Emily asked curiously

"Yes, yes I know" Paige said. She made a gesture to Emily asking her to get in the car and they both sat inside ready to go. Paige put her seat belt on and started the car while she checked periodically on Spencer who was now snoring.

"How do you know where she lives?" Emily asked, Paige looked at her for a second and then directed her gaze back to the street

"My mom is Spencer's parent's personal doctor" She said "I've known them from a few years now"

"Oh, okay, that's good because I have no idea where she lives" Emily said

"It's not far from here, don't worry" Paige said

Emily looked down at her feet not knowing what to say anymore; she was in a really weird situation right now; her fellow teacher was drunk in the back of one of their students car, and she still didn't know how to talk to Paige, they seemed to be doing better now but still it felt weird to be with her; it was weird not knowing what to say or what to do.

Paige in the other hand was trying not to think too much about what was happening; she was going to take Ms. Hastings to her house and then Emily to hers and then she was going to go home and sleep and forget what had happened.

Finally after a long while of silence where the only sound they could hear were Spencer's snores, Paige parked the car in a large drive way and stopped the engine with a sigh.

"It's here" She announced, Emily eyed Spencer who was now sprawled on the backseat and looked at Paige

"I don't know if it's a good idea to leave her alone…" She commented, Paige eyed the front of the house and pointed at one of the windows on the first floor

"I think she isn't going to be alone" She said

"Who's there?" Emily asked without thinking

"I don't know… I don't really know the people in Ms. Hastings life but it can be her sister" Paige commented

"Oh…" Emily said "In that case we can take her to the house now" Emily said

They exited the car in silence and dragged Spencer out of the back sit with a lot of effort; she was a bit better than before since she was able to walk and form words.

Emily rang the bell a few times and was received by Melissa; Spencer's sister who was staying with her for a few days, they were lucky to have her there; she helped Spencer into the house and then closed the door leaving Emily and Paige standing outside.

"Wow" Paige said "That… was weird"

"Yeah, I kind of understand Spencer's strange personality; she kind of takes after her sister" Emily commented as they started to walk back to the car

"It's a weird family, but they are good people" Paige said

"Thanks for helping us" Emily said as she stood next to the car door; she gave Paige a warm smile and then they entered the car.

"You're welcome" Paige said "I wanted to help" She started the engine and rode the car back to the street; Emily eyed the inside and saw a picture of Liam and Paige placed on the small mirror, then she realized something

"Wait… do you have permission?" She asked "I mean to drive, are you legally allowed to drive?" She asked, it was Liam's car and he was older enough but Paige only had eighteen and even if she was older enough too she didn't seem like she had the permission.

"Uh… I… don't" Paige said

"God, how many illegal things can I do for one night?" Emily asked. Paige looked at her and laughed a bit

"Illegal? We didn't do anything illegal" Paige said

"Okay let me see… you're driving without being allowed, which is kind of illegal, and you just helped me to get a drunken teacher to her house"

"That's not illegal" Paige complained

"No, but that's not normal either" Emily said

"Yeah… but it was fun though" Paige said laughing "I never saw Ms. Hastings so wasted… I mean it was just something fun to witness" She corrected.

"I kind of have to agree" Emily said "I never imagined that she was going to be out after seven beers" She said as she laughed.

They both laughed for a moment; it was like they just were having a fun time as the old times, and then their laughter died in their mouths leaving the car in silence again.

"I had a great time actually" Emily said "It's been a long time since I did something so unexpected"

"Yeah me too; it was nice" Paige said. She pulled over for a second and looked directly at Emily. They reminded silent for a moment; Emily looked at Paige curiously and took a moment to admire her natural beauty now bathed by the bright light of the moon, and she thought that Paige had really turned into a beautiful woman.

"Why did we stop?" Emily asked finally.

"I don't know where you live, so maybe you want to indicate me the way" Paige said

"Right" Emily said smiling shyly "Uh… I'm living at the center now" She said

"Thanks" Paige said as she started the engine again; Emily told her the name of the street and they didn't talk about anything else during the rest of the ride.

Even though there was a silence in the car; it wasn't an uncomfortable one, they were just sitting there maybe not knowing what to say but not feeling bad for it, which was good. They only broke that silence when Emily said that they were there.

Paige for some reason exited the car; it was something strange since she could perfectly say goodbye to Emily from her spot at the driver's seat but she just opened the door and followed Emily.

"Thank you for the ride" Emily said

"It was nothing" Paige said

"I mean it, thanks again for helping me before with Spencer" Emily said smiling "We had quite the adventure"

"Yeah, we had…"

"I think it will be better for her and for us to just forget what happened, I mean she's your teacher and has a reputation… you know" Emily said

"I wasn't planning on spreading some sort of bad rumor about her, don't worry" Paige said jokingly "I won't say a word"

"Okay, so I guess the episode is now forgotten" Emily said

"Yes, completely" Paige responded. They once again stayed silent; but this time awkwardly looking at each other in the eyes. Emily thought about what she was going to say next and Paige just stood there trying to keep her gaze on Emily's eyes and not in her cleavage… 'What the hell is wrong with me?!' She thought as she blinked a few times.

"Okay" Emily said finally, she smiled at Paige as she took her keys out of her pocket "I guess I have to go"

"Yeah, yeah I have to go too…" Paige said "H-have a good night"

"You too" Emily said.

Paige didn't wait for Emily to say something else; she turned around and started to walk to the car trying to seem calmed and nonchalant; she actually wanted to forget that night…

"Paige" Emily said suddenly. Paige turned around slowly and looked at Emily

"Yes?" she asked

"I think we should repeat this…" Emily said "But you know, without drunken people or alcohol, it would be fun"

"It would" Paige said "Maybe we could go to the Brew and try some of their special smoothies" She suggested. She didn't know if what they were saying was actually something they were going to do in a future; because there were times when Paige only invited someone knowing that they weren't going to meet after that but she actually wanted to see Emily again out of class…

"I would love that" Emily said smiling "I see you tomorrow"

Paige smiled back at her and nodded in agreement; Emily fidgeted with the keys between her hands and took a step back.

"See you tomorrow" Paige said as she saw Emily entering the building

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

It was a bit early when Emily entered the teacher's room carrying her bag with a bunch of books and papers; she placed it on a table and stood next to it as she fixed her clothes a bit. Today was one of those mornings when she woke up thinking that she was running late but she actually wasn't… so she hurried up to get changed and ran all the way to the school and then she realized that she had plenty of time.

Last night was a weird night; after the incident with Spencer, and her awkward but nice ride with Paige, she arrived home and the only thing she could think to do in that moment was to sleep. She went straight to bed after changing and taking her sleeping pill and she fell asleep almost immediately.

Fortunately the coffee machine was now repaired; maybe the janitor fixed it during the night, and she was really grateful for it. She grabbed a cup of hot coffee and sat with it on the small couch as she relaxed before the bell rang. Today wasn't going to be a long day actually; she didn't have many classes so probably she could be home earlier than expected.

"Good morning sunshine" A cheery voice came into the room. Emily recognized Ezra's voice and looked at him with a smile; he seemed to be pretty happy today

"Hey" She said

"Someone's early uh?" Ezra asked looking at his watch. Emily smiled at him softly and sipped her coffee

"And someone's extremely happy" She said. Ezra sat next to her with a big smile on his face; he looked at Emily as if he had something to tell. "What…. Did something interesting happen?" She asked

"Maybe" Ezra said "A lot of things happened last night"

"Ugh I don't know if I want to know the details" Emily said

"Don't worry Em, actually nothing beyond the 'talking kind' happened" He said

"Oh" Emily said "Okay, I thought you took that pretty girl you were talking to, to her house"

"I did" Ezra said "End of the story"

"Great"

"What happened to Spencer?" He asked. The last thing Ezra remembered was that Spencer wasn't feeling too well, and then when he was talking to that nice girl he met and some friends he saw Emily and Spencer exiting the bar and then he didn't saw them again.

"She got really sick" Emily said "I didn't know she couldn't tolerate alcohol really well"

"I know, I didn't think she was going to get so wasted" Ezra commented "She doesn't drink so often but…"

"I guess she will be having a huge hang over today" Emily said

"Count on it" Ezra said "And how did you take her home?" He asked after a second, he realized that Emily didn't have a car and Spencer didn't even know how to drive.

"Uh… well it turns out that I found someone at the bar" Emily started "A student was there and…"

"A student?" Ezra asked surprised "That can't be good for Spence"

"Actually she has nothing to worry about" Emily said trying to sound not affected by the thought of Paige, she remembered their last conversation of the night and how natural it felt to talk to her again "Paige said she wouldn't say a word"

"Paige?" Ezra asked "Paige McCullers?" He asked

"Yeah, you know her right?"

"Yes, she's in my class, she's a nice girl… I didn't know she had a car" Ezra said

"She doesn't, but she helped me taking Spencer home so it's all that matters" Emily said

"She's a really smart girl" Ezra said ignoring Emily's last sentence "Really mature for her age, such a shame that she has so many pressure"

"Pressure?" Emily asked suddenly concerned

"Her mom is kind of harsh on her" Ezra commented "I don't know her too well, but Claire McCullers comes to talk to every teacher each month to see if her daughter is doing well"

"She doesn't trust her own daughter?" Emily said more to herself than to Ezra, she wasn't like that with Cassie or Liam…

"As I said I don't know her too well; so I don't really know why she does it but what I can say is that I feel really bad for the girl" Ezra said

"Yeah me too…" Emily said

She thought for a moment how lonely Paige must have felt all these years; when Emily left Rosewood she didn't stop to think in the consequences of her acts, she just ran away and didn't thought about what she left behind.

The truth was that she was Paige's best friend, maybe Paige's only friend at a time when the girl felt more alone than ever, she was Paige's hero not because she was pretty or funny, she was just because she was her friend, and because she was always there when Paige had a problem with her mother. But then she thought that when she left, Paige didn't have anyone to turn to…

"So what do you think?" Ezra said apparently finishing a speech. Emily came back to the real world and looked at her friend with a puzzled look; Ezra seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

"Uh, what?" Emily asked slightly embarrassed; she totally got lost in her thought and didn't listen to what Ezra was saying

"The date thing; what do you think?" He asked again

"Think… date?" Emily asked

"Where were you a moment ago?" Ezra asked

"Apparently not here"

"I was telling you that I might have found the perfect girl for you" He said with a bright smile

"What?" Emily said surprised

"You heard me, she's funny, intelligent; really hot and last but not least she's single and gay"

"Ezra…"

"Okay before you can say anything, she is not interested in having a serious relationship yet, just as you. But she mentioned that it would be interesting to meet someone new"

"Where did you meet this girl?" Emily asked confused

"Last night… I totally thought that I had found the perfect girl to end the night with but it turned out that she's gay" Ezra said

"Oh…" Emily said "Look Ezra, thanks for being so caring and for thinking about my love life and that but; I don't know if I want to meet someone"

"Is that a no then?" He asked sadly

"I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet" Emily said

"It's okay Em" Ezra said soothingly "It's totally okay; I am not going to force you into anything, I just want you to be happy"

"Thanks" Emily said giving him a warm smile. Their little talk, now turned into a serious talk got interrupted when someone entered the room slamming the door open; the PE teacher walked in without even say a word to Ezra and Emily and walked to the coffee machine quietly. After him arrived a pretty hangover Spencer that was wearing sun glasses.

"Look who's here" Ezra said. Emily smiled at her but didn't say a word

"Don't" Spencer said raising her index finger to give her words more intensity "Don't you dare to say a word about this" She said pointing to herself.

Ezra gulped audibly and stood up grabbing his stuff. Spencer glared at him and went to the table to place her bag there and then rubbed her temples.

Emily stood up too and watched as Ezra left the room without a word and then approached Spencer with a bit of concern.

"Hey" She said softly. Spencer sighed deeply and looked at her

"Could you lower your voice?" She asked

"I… am not yelling" Emily said

"Oh"

"Are you feeling better?" Emily asked. Spencer took her glasses off revealing red eyes with dark orbs encircling them and a tired expression.

"Do I look better?" She asked ironically as she put the glasses back on. Emily was a bit taken aback by her friend's sharp mood, but then she just decided to not pay attention to it.

"You look definitely better than last night when you were passed out in the car" She said timidly. Spencer reminded silent for a moment with a serious expression; Emily kicked herself internally thinking that maybe she just screwed things up; but then Spencer let out a laugh.

"That was a good one" She said "But it would be really nice if we could forget about what happened and just move on"

"Yeah" Emily said "Of course we can"

"Good" Spencer said.

Emily reminded silent for a few minutes not knowing exactly what to say next; fortunately the bell rang so she didn't have to worry about it anymore. Spencer's face twisted in pain as she heard the high-pitch sound of the bell pounding in her skull; she rubbed her forehead with force and then sighed in frustration.

Emily picked up her bag and walked outside the room ready to start her first class; today she wasn't as tired as she was yesterday so she was going to be able to focus better in the lesson and the students.

Today was the day she had less classes; she just had class with sophomore year, first year and then she had a class with the senior year before lunch.

It was a good thing to have just three classes because she had something planned today; she had been thinking about something her mom said the other day about talking to Coach Fulton; at first she thought it was a bad idea but she kind of missed going to the natatorium and the water so she had planned to go there later and see if she could talk to the Coach.

She walked through the hallway checking if she hadn't forgot anything at the teacher's room; the students were already in their classes, there were only a few of them in the locker's.

Emily was halfway to her first class when she saw a really familiar face standing a few meters from her. Paige was standing in front of her locker with her face buried inside of it as she looked for something, and for some reason she looked adorable…

She was wearing tight ripped jeans with a white sleeveless shirt and a black hoodie that hang loose on one of her shoulders as she struggled to find something.

Emily observed her for a moment as she continued with what she was doing; Paige breathed out a quick 'finally' and closed her locker harshly and then grabbed her stuff and started to walk through the hallway with rush.

In her way she didn't notice Emily standing there and Emily didn't realize that she was so close to her so they crashed against each other with force making Paige almost fall to the floor and drop all her books and her bag.

"Shit" Paige mumbled in frustration as she kneeled on the floor to pick her things up. She was trying to put all the papers that were sprawled around when she saw someone kneeling in front of her.

"I'm sorry" Emily said sweetly as she gathered the papers and smiled

"Uh… Emil… Ms. Fields" Paige said as she gulped nervously at the sight of Emily in front of her, she must seem like an idiot now; all nervous and sweaty, but the truth was that Paige wasn't having the best day today.

She had been crying all the way to the school, and now that she was here she was making an effort for not start again with the tears, she was tired of it, and tired of everything right now. Emily watched her struggling again and immediately placed her hand atop hers stopping Paige and dragging her out of her thoughts

"Paige…" She said with a soft tone; Paige looked at her in the eyes and then lowered her gaze "Are you okay?" She asked in concern

Paige took a deep breath and cleared her throat before saying anything, she forced a small smile and nodded

"Yeah, yeah, I am fine" She said, somehow that sentence was starting to sound repetitive for her. She picked up her stuff quickly and they stood up in silence; Paige pressed the books against her chest protectively and looked at Emily in the eyes for a brief second.

"Paige, you don't seem so okay to me" Emily said as she observed the girl in front of her; she had her eyes a bit red and puffy, and her face was pale and had dark orbs under her eyes; and she seemed to be a bit nervous.

"I'm… just having a bad day" Paige said "That's all"

Emily bite the inside of her lip as she looked at Paige with a concerned expression; even if they weren't as close as they were in the past, she still cared about Paige a lot.

"Do… do you want to talk about it?" Emily asked shyly as she tried to make eye contact with Paige.

Paige swallowed a lump in her throat and shook her head slowly, she wasn't in the mood to talk; and she didn't know if she was ready to open herself to Emily again, she didn't know if it was safe.

"Thanks but… I don't really want to talk about this" She whispered "I just need to be alone"

Emily nodded in understanding and sighed deeply, she felt really bad for Paige; in other time she should've talked to her, Paige always talked to her in the past; even if she was mad or sad, she always talked to Emily, they always talked to each other and Emily knew that if Paige didn't trust her anymore, it was her fault.

"I should go to class" Paige said in a low voice

"Yeah… me too" Emily said; Paige didn't say anything else, she just walked away quickly and disappeared in one of the class rooms.

Emily stood in the middle of the hallway with a sad expression as she still stared in Paige's direction, even if the girl wasn't there anymore.

 _12 years ago_

Paige was sitting at the edge of the pool, her feet drawing circular patterns in the water as she fidgeted with her hands. She was angry… more than angry, she was furious, sad and really upset, so much that she couldn't stand being inside of the house; she couldn't stand seeing any member of her family right now, even if her fury was totally directed to her mom; but her sister never helped at all with that and her dad as always was locked up in his office reading some papers so the only place where she could be right now was the back yard where at least she could be alone.

She clenched her teeth in anger and sighed in pure anger as she splashed water with her feet; actually she felt like crying but she didn't want to cry anymore, she was tired of it, she was starting to think that she had to get used to her mom's ignorance for the rest of her life.

It had been a while since she had been there, her sister had tried to talk to her an hour ago or so, but Paige wasn't in the mood and she just told her to go away.

Paige lied back on the grass with her eyes closed and her feet still submerged in the water, she didn't understand why her mom was like that to her, her mom never had time to be with her and when she was home she just pretended to be busy with something just to not have to deal with Paige. She heard steps approaching her position and sat back down refusing to look back to see who it was.

"Leave me alone" Paige said, she already told this to Cassie before, her sister was really insistent sometimes. A hand stroked her shoulder gently and Paige pulled apart abruptly almost falling to the water.

She let out a small yelp as she closed her eyes in horror; she didn't know how to swim yet, her father promised her that he was going to tach her but that was a year ago, and she still didn't know how to swim. Strong arms wrapped around her protectively keeping her from falling in the pool.

"That was close" Emily's voice dragged Paige out of her thoughts and she turned around to face the girl who was still holding her.

"Emily" Paige whispered

"Are you okay?" Emily asked as she eyed the little girl in her arms. Paige nodded silently as she sat back on the grass.

She let out a deep sigh and looked to the ground as she played with the earth and avoided Emily's gaze. Emily didn't know what had happened exactly, when she got there Cassie just told her that her sister was mad and that she was at the back yard.

"What are you doing here alone?" Emily asked as she sat next to Paige.

Paige looked at her but didn't say a word; she just exhaled and kept looking to the floor. It was something she used to do, whenever she was mad, or upset, she didn't like to talk; she just wanted to be apart from the world until she calmed down.

Emily smiled softly and placed her hand on the girl's chin making her look at her in the eyes; Paige made eye contact with her for a brief second and then directed her gaze to the floor again.

"Hey" Emily said elbowing Paige softly "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Said Paige with a growl

"It's just me here Paige" Emily said "You know you can always talk to me"

Paige looked at her with her eyes closed to slits for a second, as if she was testing the area before deciding if she wanted to talk or not. She seemed to think about it for a moment and then she nodded.

"I'm mad" She said frowning

"I can see that" Emily said "Is it because of your mom?" She asked carefully. Paige nodded.

"She won't let me go to Samantha's party" Paige said in a whisper "She never lets me go anywhere" She added

"Maybe she just wants to protect you" Emily commented

"She says that she has no time to drop me there and come back for me after and that" Paige said sadly; her mom pretty much didn't let her go anywhere because she didn't want the responsibility to have to pick Paige up or drop her or just have an eye on her.

"I'm sorry" Emily said softly

"Cassie is out every day and Liam goes anywhere he wants, I don't want to be all day in my room" Paige said frowning as she looked back at the ground

"Your sister is older" Emily commented "But you have all the right to have fun too" She said, Paige looked at her and nodded "What do you say if I invite you to mu house?"

"To your house?" Paige asked confused

"Yeah, I know you've been there already and it's not the best place, but that way you wouldn't be locked in your room, besides" Emily said lowering her voice "We can eat all the gummy bears that you want" She said remembering that that was Paige's favorite 'food' she loved those even if her mom never let her eat them.

"Really?" Paige asked smiling for the first time that afternoon.

"Of course baby girl" Emily said, she wrapped an arm around Paige's shoulders and Paige wrapped her tiny arms around her tightly

"Thanks Emily" Paige said "You're my best friend ever"

* * *

 _Present day_

Emily sighed once again as her brain filled with memories and then she just started to walk to her classroom; she felt really bad now, it was like now after all of these years she was really realizing the consequences of her acts back when she was a teenager and she left the town just because she thought that she was in love and that she had to follow her heart and all that stuff.

But she never thought about what she left behind, she didn't think in the damage she did to her mom, how broken she must've felt when she lost the only daughter she had; and obviously she didn't thought about Paige, in how much she damaged that little girl when she left her alone in such a hard time for her; she just acted thinking about herself and never thinking what her acts will do to the rest of the people.

She managed to clear her head for the class and focused only in her students and the lesson she had to give, she loved her job so it was easy to focus and to inspire the students to learn things.

But her problem came when it was the turn to teach senior year; she arrived to the classroom a few minutes before the students and started to get ready as she read the lesson and her notes once again and then everyone started to arrive.

She sat on her desk watching the teens arrive and then she noticed that Paige wasn't there. At first she thought that maybe she was just running late but then she saw Aria entering the class alone and after her and a few other guys that arrived late no one else entered.

It was weird but Emily couldn't let the fact that Paige was not there affect her so she did her best to give the class and not think too much about her; but the truth is that she found herself looking at Paige's empty table every two seconds.

She kept doing this until the bell finally rang signaling that lunch time had started. Everyone stood up and started to grab their things and Emily stood next to her desk with a thoughtful look.

"Miss. Montgomery" She said as she saw Aria walking to the door. The girl stopped and looked at Emily confused

"Yes?" She asked politely

"Uh… I've noticed that Miss. McCullers wasn't in the class today" Emily said trying not to seem so worried "Do you have any idea where she is?"

"No… I saw her this morning but I couldn't find her before so I guess she wasn't feeling well or something" Aria said

"Okay" Emily said a bit disappointed

"Do you need something from her? I could ask her if…"

"No, I was just curious, that's all" Emily said, she smiled to prove her point "Have a good day"

"Thanks, same to you" Aria said before leaving the class.

She picked up her stuff and exited the classroom, that had been her last class of the day and she was more than glad because she wanted to rest; it was not as if she was so tired but she liked to have some time to herself to be able to think and maybe try to sleep if she hadn't had the chance at nights.

She was planning to head home but finally her curiosity won her and ended up walking to the natatorium, she had plans to go there anyways so she walked in slowly as she remembered the old times when she spent more time there that in her own house.

It was empty now, she remembered the sound of the people sitting at the bleachers in the meetings, the cheering; the nerves… a sudden smell of chlorine filled her nostrils and she felt like she was home now.

She walked to the pool area and heard some water noises there, it was strange, there wasn't supposed to be anyone there at this time, maybe it was the janitor or the Coach. But when she finally got there she saw who it was and she felt her heart spin.

Paige was sat there at the edge; dressed in the sharks' swimsuit and the sharks' blue hoodie over it as she moved her legs inside the water. Her hair was wet and still some droplets fell from it, she was probably swimming a few minutes ago.

Emily approached her silently and thinking about what to say; she made an accidental noise and Paige turned around startled; she saw Emily standing there and wiped the tears from her eyes quickly.

"Hey" Emily said with a smile

"Hi" Paige said directing her gaze to the water.

"I didn't know I'd find you here" Emily said as she approached the edge of the pool and looked at the water.

Paige looked at her but didn't answer, she just stared at her hands on her knees and sighed deeply; Emily must've noticed that she skipped class…

"I wasn't in the mood to be in class" She said finally trying to use that as an excuse

"What's wrong?" Emily asked in concern. Obviously, Paige didn't answer again; it was obvious that she didn't trust her. So Emily pulled up her skirt a bit so she could sit without problems and took off her heals and submerged her legs on the water mimicking Paige's action.

"Just stuff" Paige whispered

"Does that stuff have anything to do with your mom?" Emily asked trying to be delicate with the question. Paige refused to look at her; she kept her gaze on the water and swallowed a lump in her throat as she thought about an answer. She didn't want to talk about it, and she didn't know if she wanted Emily to know all her problems and everything she was going through so soon, she wasn't ready.

"Maybe" She said "Look… if you're mad that I skipped your class…"

"Paige, how can you think that I am mad at you because of that?" Emily asked. Paige looked at her and shrugged her shoulders

"I don't know" She said

"I am not mad" Emily said "I'm actually worried about you"

"It's nothing" Paige said "Just issues"

"I saw you crying at my mom's house the other day… and you were clearly crying before when I saw you in the hallway" Emily placed her hand on Paige's chin making her meet her eyes… this action was something she used to do in the past as a way to connect with Paige and make her more confident. "And you have your eyes red and puffy right now" She added

Paige took a moment to feel Emily's touch, she felt her skin tingle a bit and then she pulled apart softly.

"It's more than nothing" Emily said

"It's been almost ten years since you left" Paige said. Emily lifted uncomfortably in her place "Ten fucking years and my mom is still the same asshole she was back then" She said with a sharp tone

"You're mad" Emily concluded

"I'm more than mad" Paige said "I'm frustrated and tired of this" But I can't do anything about it, which is the most awful thing in the world

"I'm sorry" Emily whispered. She didn't know if she was saying that because she felt sorry about Paige's situation or because she felt guilty for leaving her alone all these years.

"It's not your fault" Paige said "I should be used to this by now… but for some reason I can't stop loving her and try and look for her approbation" She mumbled sadly

"It's your mother" Emily said "Even if she's not the best she's still your mom"

"I wish I could just hate her or be brave enough to just leave" Paige commented "Same as you did, that would be easier"

Emily felt as if someone just punched her in the guts with force, Paige didn't mean those words to hurt her, she didn't say them with anger or fury, but still they felt a bit bitter.

"Leaving is never a good option" Emily said after a moment of thinking "Maybe it pulls you apart from all the problems but it doesn't make anything better, you leave things behind… and the demons of our bad decision can hunt us wherever we are"

"That's what you learn after all these years?" Paige asked

"I guess… I learned that I hurt a lot of people by being so selfish" Emily said

"It did hurt a lot" Paige recognized sadly

"I used to think about you, you know?" Emily asked shyly. Paige looked at her with surprise "Every day, at least the first's months, and maybe the first year… I lied on my bed at nights and thought about you, you would be in your house, lonely and dealing with everything alone, but also I tried to remember you smiling and running around…"

"It only lasted a year?" Paige asked

"I decided that thinking about you and my mom was only making things worst, because you two were the only things that attached me to Rosewood but it was a strong bond and I was afraid that it would change my mind and… I don't know, I felt like I couldn't just come back"

There was a silence. Paige looked at the water again a bit surprised about the confession, she always thought that Emily just forgot her when she arrived to California; she never heard her version of the story.

"I used to do the same thing too" Paige said "But I guess I kept missing you for more than one year" she confessed

"You have no idea how bad I feel for it" Emily said "I just don't have words to describe how sorry I feel; but I can't change the past"

"I stole your shirt" Paige said in a low voice

"What?" Emily asked

"That black shirt with the E on it, the one you used for sleep" Paige said "Your mom let me borrow it"

Emily looked at Paige in surprise, it seemed like they were in 'confession mode' now, it was nice though to be able to talk openly again, but this caught Emily by surprise and she burst out laughing.

Paige eyed her for a moment and then joined her, they laughed for a moment and then reminded silent again.

"I completely forgot about that shirt" Emily said

"I use to use it every night… even if it was way bigger than me" Paige said giggling

"You liked to steal my clothes" Emily said "I remember you wearing my sweatshirts and my leather jackets… they looked giant on you"

"You had way cooler clothes than Cassie, she just used tight clothes and dresses" Paige commented

"Yeah I remember, like that day she wore that black dress to Mr. Collins' funeral and it was so tight that it ripped on the back when she went to grab her purse from the floor" Emily said.

Paige laughed at the memory; she remembered that perfectly, how her sister's face twisted in horror when she realized that her dress was broken and how her mom tried to cover her to not make a scandal and how much Paige, Emily and Liam laughed at this.

"I missed this" Emily said all of a sudden when they stopped laughing

"Me too" Paige admitted

"Look, I don't really know what I can do to make it up to you all of these years but I just want you to know that you can really count on me this time" Emily said sincerely.

Paige was about to say something cheesy or nostalgic but then she opted for a better idea; she knew that she still had to work a lot of things with Emily, mostly because she wanted to trust her again as she did before but for the moment it would be cool to be able to not feel so weird around here anymore.

"There's one thing you could do to make it up to me" Paige said with a devilish smile. Emily looked at her curiously

"What is it?" She asked

"You can take it as a punishment or something" Paige said "Or just as a joke"

"Paige…" Emily asked "What are you talking about?"

Paige looked at her with a playful look and without warning she pushed her quickly into the water. Emily didn't saw this coming at all, she just found herself surrounded by water and then she heard a splash next to her.

Paige had jumped into the water again; she swam next to Emily and started laughing when she saw her face of complete surprise.

"This was the punishment?" Emily asked "Pushing me into the water with my clothes on?"

"I'm sorry" Paige said as she laughed "I thought it would be fun"

"I have to admit that it kind of is…" Emily said as she splashed water to Paige's face.

"I know right? Not every day I can do this to a teacher" Paige said. Emily laughed and felt warmth in her heart she hadn't felt in years.

"Ha" She said "Don't forget that I am the one making your exams."

"Okay" Paige said "I'm sorry" She splashed water to Emily and they looked at each other in the eyes for a moment and didn't say a word "Do you forgive me?" She asked after a while; she realized how close to Emily she was and she pulled back a bit.

"Of course" Emily said softly "But I should get out of the pool, it's not comfortable to swim with clothes"

"True" Paige said.

They exited the pool and walked to the locker room where Paige let Emil her towel so she could dry herself a bit.

"Well" Emily commented "I guess I'll have to go back home soaked"

"I'm so sorry" Paige said now seriously "I feel almost bad"

"Almost?" Emily asked

"I can let you some of my clothes" Paige said shyly

"You don't have to… I don't live so far"

"It's kind of cold outside and it won't be a problem" Paige said "I have my second sharks uniform here, you can borrow my sweatpants and I think I have a shirt over there" She said pointing to her locker.

She opened it and grabbed the clothes for Emily and handed them to her, for a brief seconds their hands touched and Paige felt again those tingles on her skin.

"Thank you" Emily said "I will return them as soon as I can"

"Don't worry" Paige said

"What are you going to wear now?" Emily asked concerned

"Oh, I'll just put on the clothes I was wearing before" Paige said

"Right" Emily said.

They stared at each other and then Paige decided to walk to the showers to take her swimsuit off there, she felt more comfortable with Emily now but she wasn't going to let her see her naked, that would be too much for her.

She changed quickly; she put her ripped jeans with the shirt and the black hoodie and tied her hair in a ponytail before leaving the showers to grab her bag.

When she entered the locker room she was welcomed with the sight of Emily's half naked body as she finished changing. Emily was on her back, wearing the shirt Paige let her and without any pants.

Paige stared at her long toned legs, and then her eyes travelled up to her perfect butt… she looked at it with widened eyes and thought that those black panties looked amazing on her; and then Paige slapped herself mentally for being such a pervert and walked out of the locker room to wait a few minutes. Then she walked in again, this time making noise so Emily could hear her.

"Okay" She said nervously, as she walked to her bag. Emily was now fully changed and smiled at her sweetly

"Thanks for the clothes Paige" She said

"No problem" Paige said

"So I guess I'm going back home" Emily said finally "What are you going to do?" She asked

"I should be in class now" Paige said

"I know"

"But I'm still not in the mood"

"I see" Emily said "You can always walk me home"

"Really?" Paige asked

"I probably should be telling you to go back to class and that stuff but yeah… why not? Maybe some fresh air can help you" Emily said.

Paige grabbed all her stuff and smiled gratefully at Emily, she was actually glad to be able to spend time with the girl again.

"Thanks" Paige said

"Don't say thanks, I just want to help" Emily said

They walked in silence out of the locker room and outside the building, Emily felt a weird sensation inside of her, something similar to happiness, something she hadn't felt in a long while; she was actually starting to feel a lot of things she didn't felt in a lot of years now that she was back in Rosewood and she was really grateful for that. And she was feeling them even stronger when she was with Paige, she didn't know why but she was starting to feel a lot of things when she was with Paige; that never happened in the past.

Maybe it was their way to start their friendship again.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Strange feelings

 _12 years ago_

Paige was standing at the edge of the pool; her arms wrapped around her torso as she took deep breaths, she looked at the water intently and then looked at Emily who was inside of the pool swimming as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

She made a gesture to Paige, indicating her that she could jump in the pool now; Paige eyed her for a moment and shook her head as she took a step back.

"Paige" Emily said swimming in her direction "Get in"

"It's cold" Paige said

"It isn't cold" Emily replied, the water was actually in the perfect temperature.

"I don't want to" Paige said

"You were really happy about this a while ago"

"I changed my mind" Paige commented with a hint of fear in her voice.

Emily approached the edge of the pool and placed her elbows on the ground to steady herself as she looked at Paige; Paige sat with her knees pressed to her chest and sighed deeply.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked with concern, even though she already knew what the problem was. Paige looked down and tried to find her words.

"I don't want you to get mad at me" She confessed with a low voice. Emily looked at her and placed her hand on Paige's knee

"I am not going to get mad Paige, you know" She said. Paige looked at her for a few seconds and finally decided to tell her the problem.

"I'm scared" She said in a whisper

"Is that it?" Emily asked. Paige nodded and looked at the water again

"It's deep" She said

"Oh Paige, you don't have to be afraid" Emily said trying to soothe her "I'm here with you, besides, that's why we are here in the first place, to teach you how to swim"

Paige looked at one of the chairs that were a few meters from where she was sat; there was a float there, a blue float with fishes on it, she was used to use it and she felt safe, but now she was a bit scared mostly because she was scared of drowning.

"Do you want to use it?" Emily asked when she noticed what Paige was looking. Paige nodded a bit embarrassed.

"Yes" She said

"Okay, we can start slowly" Emily said.

Paige smiled more confident and stood up, she ran to the chair and picked up the float and slid inside it.

"I'm going to jump" Paige announced as she stood again at the edge of the pool "Catch me" She said as she jumped. Emily opened her arms and took a step back to catch Paige when she finished the jump.

Paige splashed a lot of water and then started to move her legs frantically to approach Emily who was now smiling at her as she grabbed the float to steady it on its place.

"You did it" Emily said proudly. Paige smiled and nodded.

Emily decided to not force the situation, she placed her hand on the float and led it around the pool as she let Paige relax and swim with the help of the float for a while. And it seemed to be working since the girl started to laugh and talk nonchalantly.

It was twenty minutes after that that Emily decided to try again and see if she could get Paige out of the float and start to swim. She knew that Paige was scared, she was scared of the water and it was normal, she wasn't allowed to go to the pool so she never could see it as something fun or something harmless. Her dad had promised her several times to teach her but he never did, so Emily thought it would be fun to do it.

"Okay" Emily said suddenly "Do you want to try without the float?"

Paige looked at her in horror realizing that she was in the deepest part of the pool and that she was far from the edge. She shook her head frantically and grabbed the float with force.

"No" She said

"Come on, you need to let this go if you want to learn how to swim" Emily said

"I don't want to drown" Paige said

"Paige listen to me" Emily said looking at Paige in the eyes "Nothing bad is going to happen to you, because I am here, and I won't let anything happen"

Paige swallowed and sighed deeply as she thought about those words, she trusted Emily more than anything, but she was scared…

"Come here" Emily said opening her arms "We'll swim together"

She approached the little girl a bit so she didn't have to move a lot and Paige seemed to feel a bit more comfortable since she finally decided to do it. She slid out the float and rushed into Emily's arms.

Emily smiled once Paige was without the float, even though the girl was tightly hugging her, which was a huge step.

Paige buried her face in the crook of Emily's neck and wrapped her arms and legs around her trying not to fall.

"Don't let me go" Paige said with fear. Emily let out a laugh and hugged her tightly; Paige was cute when she was so concerned.

"You need to learn Paige, and hug me all the time is not going to help" Emily said

"I am going to drown" Paige said. Emily pulled apart just enough to see Paige's face

"You're not, you know why?" She asked. Paige shook her head "Because you have something in here" She said pointing to Paige's torso "You have something called lungs; the lungs are full of air, and that air helps us float"

"Like my float?" Paige asked pointing to the object that was now at the corner of the pool

"Yeah, just like that, so you are not going to drown, you just need to move your legs and arms to be able to move around, that's all"

Paige thought about the information for a moment, she seemed to be processing all this and suddenly she didn't feel so scared. Emily pulled her away from her body, still holding Paige, and helped her move.

"Just move your arms" She said. Paige did what she was told; she moved her arms splashing a bit of water.

"Like that" Emily said smiling "Now your legs, just move them"

Paige moved her legs and her arms at the same time, the concentration visible in her face as she shrugged her nose and furrowed.

Emily kept holding her for a while trying to let the girl to adjust to the movements and then she retired her hands slowly. Paige didn't notice this, she was so concentrated and so engrossed with what she was doing that she just kept moving and suddenly she was swimming alone.

"You're doing it!" Emily said with a bright smile. Paige seemed to realize that she was on her own now and for a moment she was about to start to panic but then she just actually realized that she was on her own and she started to swim faster.

"I'm swimming" She announced "Emily, look I am swimming"

"I know baby girl" Emily said, she observed Paige proudly and with a big smile, seeing Paige so happy and so confident made her heart melt, it make her happy too.

Paige swam to where Emily was and jumped on her hugging her tightly and laughing, she couldn't believe that she was swimming.

"Thanks" She said, she kissed Emily's cheek softly and hugged her again

"You know I'm always here for you" Emily said kissing Paige's forehead "Who knows, maybe in the future you can race me"

* * *

 _Present day_

Emily was sat at the top of the bleachers, in her hands a cup of coffee and a small smile in her face as she observed the girls in the water. She was the only person watching, but she didn't care, she loved it.

It was Saturday, the first week of class was over and that meant that practice had started for the sharks, her old swim team, the team that made her win two cups one day in the past. She had been really happy swimming there; the natatorium was like her second house in that time.

She watched as Coach Fulton gave some indications to the girls, it was weird to see her again after all these years, she hadn't changed anything. Emily laughed at the memories of Coach Fulton in the past, yelling at the girls or just talking to them.

Practice had started fifteen minutes ago or so, Emily didn't know the exact time so that's why she arrived a bit late, she sat there discretely and observed the girls. This year there seemed to be a lot of talent there; the girls were fast and there were really good swimmers in the team, it was really good to see them swim and train.

And then, there was Paige… it was incredible how great she was, she was like a fish in the water; the way she moved was amazing and it seemed like it was the easiest thing in the world, it was a real pleasure to watch her swim.

Also Emily had obviously noticed how great the swimsuit fit on her, it was something she noticed the other day, when they were there at the pool talking, but now that she was in 'action' it was more noticeable.

Emily had been observing her for the past minutes since she arrived here; Paige hadn't noticed her yet so she could watch her without the fear of being caught.

She widened her eyes to a particular scene; Paige exited the pool after winning a small race with some teammates, she stood by the edge as she took of her hat and her googles; Emily observed her toned muscles intently, Paige was really in shape, she had long legs and arms and Emily caught a glimpse of Paige's erect nipples through the swimsuit as she stretched out before grabbing her towel.

Emily blushed at the sight and suddenly slapped herself mentally; what the hell was she doing perving on an eighteen year old girl? She had to stop so she just focused her gaze on some of the girls that were now talking as they waited for their turn on the pool.

"McCullers, great job" Fulton said with a serious expression "But you were slow in the last lap, be careful"

Paige stood next to the pool as she processed the information and dried her hair, one of the girls approached her to greet her for the race; her name was Sydney, she was new on the school, she arrived to Rosewood last year, but she turned out to be a really good swimmer.

"You did a really amazing job" She said with a soft blush; Paige smiled at her thankfully

"Thanks Sydney" Paige said. Sydney blushed even more and approached her; Paige felt a bit uncomfortable with the girl so close to her, invading her personal space, but didn't say anything.

"We could always meet after class to have a race don't you think? Or just go hang out around the town" Sydney said.

Paige looked at her with a small smile and tried to think how she could say no to the girl without hurting her feelings, she was not in the mood to hang out with anyone and it was obvious what Sydney's intentions were towards her; so she wanted to be clear.

"Uh… I am busy after school, but thanks" Paige said. Sydney looked down, visibly disappointed; she sighed deeply and then looked at Paige again with a new smile.

"Okay" She said

"Okay?" Paige repeated a bit confused, she thought that the girl will be more insistent.

"We could always hang out after a meet" She said happily; Paige didn't say a word this time, she just reminded silent as she thought of an excuse.

"I didn't know we had company" Sydney said all of a sudden. Paige looked at her confused and the girl pointed at the top of the bleachers with her head. "That is the new history teacher"

"Ms. Fields" Paige whispered as she looked at Emily.

"She was one of the best swimmers of the team when she was a student" Sydney said "I heard that she won two cups and got a full scholarship to go to Stanford…"

Sydney started to say all the good things she just heard about Emily, and how much she admired her and how great she was; Paige already knew all this things, mostly because she was there when Emily won the two cups and when she got that full scholarship, she was there when Emily was the best swimmer of the team and she was there when she left without saying goodbye.

Paige observed Emily for a moment; she wasn't dressed in her usual skirts and blouses, she was wearing light blue jeans and a black shirt with a leather jacket that fit really well on her; she looked really beautiful.

For a moment they made eye contact, Emily's eyes found Paige's and they looked at each other for what seemed like ages, until finally Paige decided to move her gaze to not seem like a pervert that was just checking out on her teacher.

"Don't you think that?" Sydney asked. Paige looked at her confused, she hadn't listened to a single word she just said, but she decided to just go with it and pretend that she actually heard her.

"Oh, yeah" Paige said

"I agree" Sydney said "Oh, the coach is calling us" She announced as she walked to the point where all the girls were reunited to listen to Fulton.

* * *

Emily sipped the last part of her coffee and sighed deeply after it; that exchange of looks she had with Paige a minute ago was weird, they just stared at each other for a few seconds, and Emily could swear that Paige was looking at her before that, she was already staring at Emily before making eye contact with her.

But it was stupid to keep thinking about it so Emily decided to drop the issue and keep observing the practice. She saw how that girl that was standing so close to Paige said something to her and they both walked towards the coach.

That girl was kind of weird; she was smiling all around and she seemed to be always near Paige, she was waiting for her when she exited the pool, and approached her when she was drying her hair, and now that Coach Fulton was giving the girls a small speech, the girl was standing really close to Paige again and staring at her from time to time.

Coach Fulton ended her speech and the girls returned to the water to keep doing laps for a few more minutes, then they did a few more races and then finally they were allowed to go to the locker room to go and shower.

Emily stood up once the girls were heading to the showers and walked to the pool as her mind filled with memories; she had so much fun, and made a lot of friends there.

She turned her head to look at the bleachers, she still remembered when the people cheered her, she remembered her mom sitting in the first row, and Cassie next to her with Paige in her arms, and Maya… she used to wait for her after the meetings and after practice.

"Emily Fields" A voice dragged her out of her thoughts; she turned around and saw Coach Fulton walking towards her.

"Fulton" Emily said smiling

"I heard that you were here again, but I just couldn't believe it"

"It's true" Emily said, Fulton approached her and hugged her quickly

"Wow… It's been a long time" She said "Ten years?"

"Almost" Emily said

"What brought you here again?" Fulton asked

"I don't know, I just wanted to come back home" Emily said with decision

"What do you think about the team?" Fulton asked proudly. Emily smiled and noticed that even if the coach hadn't made eye contact with her she obviously knew that she was there.

"There is a lot of potential" Emily said "The girls are really good"

"Yeah, wait until they get in shape, there's a lot of talent here"

"I saw that"

"You should consider helping us" Fulton said with a serious expression

"Really?"

"Well, you don't have to come here every practice if you don't want to, but maybe you could come here some day and help me motivate the girls, they could use the help, besides you were a really good swimmer, you can teach them some things"

"I don't know…" Emily said hesitant

"Especially the captain" Fulton said "You could be a really good influence for her"

"The captain?" Emily asked

"I think you already know her, Paige McCullers" Fulton said

"Paige?" Emily asked; now that Fulton mentioned it, it didn't surprise Emily at all that Paige was the captain, she was really good and fast, she had a lot of talent.

"Yeah, she's the best swimmer we have here, but she has been really distracted lately" Fulton said "I'm kind of worried about her"

"Why?" Emily asked suddenly concerned

"I don't really know her so much but I think she has a lot of pressure you know? And that is making her a bit distracted"

Emily reminded silent for a moment thinking about it, this wasn't the first time someone mentioned Paige being under pressure; Ezra commented something about it the other day. Maybe it was true and Emily felt really bad for her… she wanted to help…

"Anyways, you could be a really great help" Fulton said smiling again "Feel free to join our practice whenever you want"

"Thanks Coach" Emily said

"It's been ten years" Fulton said "You can call me Miranda" She said. Emily smiled at her and then watched as she picked up her things and went to her office.

She looked once again around the place and took a deep breath inhaling the smell of chlorine and then she had an idea that might work or not… but she just had to go outside and wait.

* * *

Paige was the last one to leave the locker room, she just decided to take her time today to shower and relax before going home. It had been the first day of practice and even though she had been training during summer she ended up tired.

The good thing today was that her mom was working; she was supposed to pick her up after practice because she wanted to talk to Fulton to discuss Paige's times and all that stuff but fortunately today Claire had a few surgeries to perform and she couldn't pick Paige up.

Paige finally left the natatorium and walked outside distracted and enjoying the feeling of the air of that Saturday morning. She didn't have her brother's car here so she had to walk.

She was about to head home when she spotted Emily sitting on a bench in front of the building as she waited for her. Emily stood up once she saw Paige exiting the natatorium and waved a hand to her.

"Hi Paige" She said happily smiling to the girl. Paige smiled back at her and walked towards her.

"Hi Ms. Fields" Paige said. Emily let out a small laugh

"We're not in school time" She said "There's no need to call me Ms. Fields"

"Hi Emily" Paige said

"That's better" Emily said smiling

"It's just weird" Paige commented "To call you Emily again"

Emily looked at her with a hint of sadness but then she just understood that all the situation was still hard for Paige, so that meant that she had to work harder to make things be as they were before.

"What are you doing here?" Paige asked a bit confused, she still remembered that brief eye contact they made a while ago when she was on the pool.

"Uh, I came to see the practice" Emily said "You were amazing in the water by the way"

"Thanks" Paige said as she blushed a bit

"You have a lot of potential, seriously"

"I had a great teacher" Paige said smiling as she remembered all the afternoons she spent on the pool with Emily, the only reason why she wanted to be a swimmer was because she wanted to be like Emily; but obviously she wasn't going to admit that now.

"You're way better than the teacher" Emily said

"Thanks I guess…"

"So, I actually was thinking that maybe you wanted to take a walk" Emily said

"A walk?"

"Yeah, it's a nice day and it would be nice to have company"

"Don't you have any fellow teacher to make you company today?" Paige asked kind of jokingly

"Well, I don't know if they're free, if you don't want to…"

"I want" Paige said cutting Emily mid-sentence

"Okay" Emily said, she smiled softly and breathed actually relieved, she didn't know if she was ready for a rejection from Paige.

"Any place you want to go in particular?" Paige asked

"I never thought about the place" Emily confessed she actually just thought that it would be a good idea to hang out with Paige for a while to start knowing the girl again, and start to build a bit of trust with her.

"I think I might have something in mind" Paige said

Emily smiled at her and Paige started to walk, she tried to not feel so awkward around Emily and it was starting to work; she was starting to feel a bit more comfortable with her but sometimes she just felt as if she didn't really know the girl so well, and also the idea of being alone with Emily was kind of weird, even though sometimes she completely forgot about everything and just enjoyed the time, she felt like she didn't know what to say or what to do with Emily.

"Why did you quit swimming?" Paige asked curiously. Emily let out a sigh and looked down with sadness

"I stopped feeling comfortable with it" She said

"Why?" Paige asked afraid that she was entering more personal territory now. Emily looked at her and smiled sweetly, she knew Paige was asking just curiously and not with the intention to hurt her or laugh at her.

"When I was the team captain here, it was the best thing in the world, it was something funny, and kind of a nice responsibility for me… but once I went to California, it turned to be an obligation, all I had to do was win and concentrate on the meetings and that put a lot of pressure on me and I wasn't ready for that" Emily made a small pause and looked down again "And then there was Maya…" She said, Paige lifted uncomfortable on her seat "We planned a future together and… my swimming career was occupying a big part of my life so I had to choose"

"Do you regret it?" Paige asked in a whisper

"No" Emily said with confidence "Maybe I miss it sometimes and… my relationship with Maya turned to be a total failure, but I don't regret it"

"A failure?" Paige asked, Emily looked at her and nodded

"Hey, we agreed on one question at a time" Emily said "And you already made two"

"Sorry" Paige said.

* * *

After a long walk around Rosewood, they were currently sat in the park, in the swings that were in the middle to be more exact; fortunately there weren't any kids around so no one would complain about it. Paige was holding a bag of gummy bears as they both ate happily and they were playing a question game, something completely normal…

"Okay" Emily said "I guess, you have every right to know" She added, Paige looked at her seriously; she actually didn't know that Maya too well so she didn't know what had happened between her and Emily in the past.

"We were together for almost seven years" Emily said sadly "She was my longest relationship and I was really in love with her; we were even going to get married… but… she lied to me, she said that she was clean now, that she had quit with the smoking and the weed, but it turned out that she wasn't, and obviously she wasn't ready to quit with that yet, so we had an argument two weeks before our wedding, and it turned out that she wasn't happy anymore" Emily said, a tear escaped her eyes and she wiped it quickly "She told me that she wanted to travel and meet new people and be free… she canceled the wedding and a few days after that she was gone"

There was a silence after that, Paige felt really bad for her; she didn't remember Maya too well, she just remembered that that girl was never good news; probably if she could go back in time she would slap her in the face with force.

"I'm sorry" Paige mumbled as she looked at Emily. She placed her hand atop Emily's for a moment ignoring that awkward tingling sensation and then she smiled at her softly

"It's okay" Emily said "That was a long time ago, it's been four years since that. Okay, now it's my turn" She said breathing deeply and looking at Paige with a devilish smile as she thought about her question

"Shoot" Paige said as she ate a gummy bear

"Now that we're talking about love… how is your love life?" Emily asked "Something important?"

"Ugh… you went for the easy questions" Paige whispered, Emily looked at her curiously as she waited for the answer

"Okay then… I haven't been with anyone in a year" Paige said finally

"Wow, so that means there was someone before?" Emily asked

"Yeah, I dated someone… a girl…"

"So you're… gay?" Emily asked really surprised. Paige looked at her and let out a small laugh

"Yes" She said nodding "I am gay"

"I wasn't expecting that" Emily mumbled

"I came out when I was sixteen; I was just tired of hiding myself"

"That's really cool, I am proud of you" Emily said

"Thanks"

"So about that girl?" Emily asked more than curiously. Paige laughed

"She was funny and smart… and is a swimmer too, we met at a summer camp last year and I thought I had found the love of my life" Paige said "And at first everything was so amazing… but she hurt me a lot"

"Sorry" Emily said sadly, she couldn't understand why someone would hurt Paige "Do you mind if I ask what happened?" Emily asked cautiously

"I guess I don't mind" Paige said "She cheated on me… more than once, she said that I wasn't enough for her… you know in… bed" She whispered with embarrassment. Emily almost choked on her gummy bear and looked at Paige with widened eyes.

"How can someone be so idiot" She mumbled to herself. Now she really thought how could someone cheat on a girl like Paige, she was beautiful and really nice, and Emily obviously didn't know how she was in bed and she felt embarrassed just by thinking about Paige in bed but she couldn't be bad…

"It's okay" Paige said "That was a year ago, I am better now"

"That girl is stupid" Emily said

"Maybe"

"Can you tell me her name?" Emily asked

"Okay, I thought this was one question at a time" Paige said

"Right… fine"

"Why did you come back to Rosewood?" Paige asked with a serious expression

Emily sighed deeply and looked down once again; she had heard the question a lot, for the past days, everyone wanted to know why she decided to come back after all these years; but this was the first time that the question sounded so genuine.

"I don't really know" Emily said sincerely "Honestly I don't know, I was tired of running away and tired of my life there, so I guess I decided to come here again"

Emily swallowed and looked at Paige who was now thinking; that answer wasn't the best one, and she obviously wasn't telling the entire story with it, but she wasn't ready to talk yet, it still hurt a lot and she didn't know if she wanted Paige to know what happened, Paige couldn't know…

"Where is your sister now?" Emily asked changing the subject abruptly "I heard that she's not living in Rosewood anymore"

"No, she isn't… she is living in New York, she's a lawyer now" Paige said

"Cassie? A lawyer?" Emily asked

"Yeah, that's what everyone thought, but she went to Yale and then she moved to New York, now she has her own company" Paige said

"I can't believe it" Emily said as she laughed "I thought that she was going to study something related to fashion or maybe medicine as your mom"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, but she just said that she wanted to study law, she was always really intelligent, she just covered that intelligence with her stupidity" Paige said

Emily burst out laughing; she had missed Cassandra a lot, she had been one of her best friends and she remembered all the arguments she and Paige had, they loved each other a lot but they were always arguing and Emily was the one that had to calm the waters between them.

"I bet you two still arguing as in the old times" Emily said

"Yes, but now via skype" Paige said "Although she's coming here next week"

"I want to see her" Emily commented

"She wants to see you too, she said that it would be fun to reunite with you again"

"So you talked about me?" Emily asked, Paige blushed and looked at her embarrassed

"We did" Paige said

"It's okay, I want to see your sister too, that would be amazing" Emily said

"Would you want to come with me tomorrow night?" Paige asked all of a sudden. Emily looked at her with widened eyes and blushed

"Where?" She asked

"Oh… to your mom's house" Paige said suddenly embarrassed too "It's Sunday, and every Sunday we made a special dinner"

Emily breathed a bit relieved, she had imagined other thing when she first heard the question, but now it made more sense; she actually wouldn't have to feel so anxious at the idea of being alone with Paige…

"That would be great" She said

"I-If you don't want to you don't have to go" Paige said as she blushed profusely "I mean… it's your mom after all, you can go whenever you want… or tomorrow…"

Emily laughed a bit as she saw Paige rambling and blushing, she couldn't help but notice how cute Paige was when she was nervous, and the flush on her cheeks made her look really adorable.

"Actually I think it is a great idea" She said

"Really?" Paige asked, she cleared her throat and tried to be more confident "Oh yeah, it will be fun"

"Yeah, so we have a plan tomorrow then" Emily said. She stood up and stretched out her body a bit. Paige looked at her discretely and saw how her shirt lifted up a bit when Emily stretched her arms over her head, revealing a bit of Emily's toned stomach and her soft skin.

"Yeah" Paige said finally, she placed her gaze on some point of the floor and tried to forget what she just saw.

"Are you in a hurry?" Emily asked

"What?"

"Do you have to go home yet?" Emily asked again

"Uh… no… my parents are in the hospital" Paige said

"Do… you want to walk me home?" Emily said "I have to go to check some exams, but it would be nice to have your company for a while"

Paige looked at her, Emily was smiling brightly as she placed one of her long locks behind her ear; the movement was simple but made her look so sexy… Paige licked her lips and her eyes went straight to the small spot of cleavage that was visible through Emily's shirt.

"Uh… okay" She said after a moment as she stood up, she ate the last gummy bear and placed the empty bag in her pocket. Emily looked at her for a moment and started laughing

"What?" Paige asked confused

"Your tongue is blue" Emily said "And your lips" Paige ran her hand through her lips and blushed as she tried to wipe the blueness from her face

"I ate a blue gummy bear… okay open your mouth" Paige said as she tried to cover her embarrassment. Emily opened her mouth and showed her the tongue. "Yours is red" Paige said smiling

They both laughed for a while as they walked outside the park; it was not too late yet, it was probably around three in the afternoon, maybe, they walked along the streets chatting quietly and sometimes just in silence until they arrived to Emily's building.

Emily stood by the door and struggled to find the keys inside her pocket; Paige stood next to her in silence watching her as she looked for the keys.

There was a moment of silence after that, Emily fumbled with the keys in her hands and Paige looked at her not knowing what else to say.

"So…" Emily said "I guess that's it"

"Yeah" Paige agreed.

Emily was about to open her mouth and ask Paige to go with her, she didn't want to sit alone in her kitchen again, she hated to be alone all day, she hated all the anxiety attacks she had because of how lonely she felt; but she didn't know if it was a good idea to have a student in her house, and not any student… maybe it wasn't a good idea to be alone in her house with Paige…

"I had a really great day" Emily said finally with a sincere smile

"Me too"

"I'm serious" Emily said "You made my day a lot better than it was"

"Thanks" Paige said, she blushed once again, but this time the red in her cheeks was more noticeable "My day got better too"

Emily leaned closer to her, and without even realize it, she deposited a soft tender kiss in Paige's cheek.

It was a quick action, she pressed her lips on Paige's cheek and then she leaned back but when she did it she saw Paige's horror face; she seemed to be about to explode or something and Emily felt her own stomach sparkle and jump inside her.

"Uh… I… am going to head home" Paige said, she was completely gone now, her cheek was burning from the contact, she felt so much tingles that she thought she was going to pass out there.

"Yeah, I… see you tomorrow" Emily said

Paige nodded and started to walk through the street trying not to fall, she was still in shock after that kiss; actually it was a stupid thing, it was just a kiss, Emily had kissed her a lot of times in the past; she kissed her goodnight, every mornings even when they were just talking, she kissed her a lot but this time was different; maybe it was because it had been a long time since they had a great time.

Emily in the other hand stood by the door for a moment and watched as Paige walked away; then she sighed deeply and entered the building trying not to think too much about what happened.

She didn't know why she had kissed Paige in the first place, it was just something she did because she felt comfortable and because she wanted to kiss Paige, but she felt a burning sensation in her lips the moment she touched Paige's skin, and now she felt a bit confused.

She went upstairs and entered her apartment quickly; it had been a long morning and maybe she was just confused, maybe she was just reading all the situation out of context, they just shared a nice time that morning and that kiss was just a demonstration of friendship and gratefulness, that was it, it was just something innocent.

Emily ran her fingertips along her lips as she remembered the softness of Paige's skin a moment before and then shook her head trying to forget that memory.

"It was nothing" She mumbled

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	10. Chapter 10

***Guest: there are 15 chapters left before I can post the new ones, but don't worry because as you see I am posting fast so you'll read the new chapters soon ;)**

 ***Stewie0827: thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy it :)**

Chapter 10: Dinner and other things…

Emily was sitting in her kitchen, a plate of salad between her hands and a glass of juice next to her; in the other room, the TV was on and with a high volume so the house didn't fell so silent and lonely; it was something Emily had started to do in the past weeks, even when she was in California, she let the TV on to at least heard someone so she wouldn't feel so alone.

She swallowed the salad and then ran her fingers along her lips again; a few hours had passed since she saw Paige and that feeling of her soft skin was still lingering on her lips, it seemed like her lips were still remembering her…

Emily shook her head and ate another spoonful of salad; she shouldn't be thinking so much about this, it was just a kiss, a kiss on the cheek, nothing more; but the memory of Paige refused to let Emily's brain alone, which was starting to annoy Emily a lot.

She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Paige, and she was afraid that those thoughts could become more intense and break the barrier of friendship; Paige was eighteen years old, she was still a teenager, she was still in high school, and she was Emily's student; she couldn't be thinking about her.

Maybe she was just confused, she had spent a lot of time with Paige lately and maybe she was just confusing all the feelings, after all, she cared a lot about the girl, she still felt a lot of affection towards her.

But she couldn't be thinking so much about her; she couldn't be thinking about anyone, she wasn't ready to be in love again, she wasn't ready to meet anyone, she was tired of relationships, she just wanted to be alone, and happy.

Happiness was something she hadn't felt in a long time; and unfortunately loneliness was the thing she felt every single morning when she opened her eyes and found herself in a cold empty bed…

A sharp pain crossed her chest and she widened her eyes in horror; she didn't want this again, she placed her hands over her heart and took deep breaths as she tried not to panic, the more nervous she got, the worst the anxiety became.

"Please… not again" Emily said as she breathed. She stood up quickly and walked to the bathroom where she kept her pills. She opened the bottle and took one of them and swallowed it fast.

She placed her hands on the sink and sighed in relieve when she felt her chest relax and her heart beat returning to a normal rhythm. She hated these attacks, she felt so bad and so vulnerable. A tear rolled down her cheek; she shouldn't have been thinking too much, she always ended up like this when she thought about her life too much.

The bell rang interrupting all her thoughts; she sniffed loudly and wiped her tears. She wasn't expecting anyone to come today; she walked to the door combing her hair and before opening it she sighed deeply.

When Emily opened the door she was welcomed by the sight of Ezra carrying a bag in his hands and Spencer was behind him with a bottle of wine and a bag fool of sodas.

"Emily!" Ezra said happily, they didn't wait for Emily to tell them to come in; they just entered the apartment and placed their bags on the living room.

"Hi guys" Emily said a bit confused

"Wow" Spencer said surprised "This is better than I thought it would be"

"I told you, Emily's apartment is nice"

Emily looked at Ezra and Spencer confused and tried to understand what was happening; they just stood there arguing about how cool Emily's place was or something like that

"Okay… can someone explain what are you doing here?" Emily asked finally crossing her arms over her chest. Ezra looked at her with embarrassment as if he was just realizing that Emily was there with them.

"Hi Em" He said, Spencer looker at her too and waved her hand happily "I hope you don't mind… we came to make a small visit"

"Someone here" Spencer said pointing to Ezra "Was bored and thought that it was nice to invade your house"

"Well" Emily said "You're here now" She commented looking at the bags on the floor "And… you seem to be prepared…"

"Oh" Ezra said, he picked up the bag he was carrying previously and showed it to Emily "I bought some Chinese"

"You mean the 'whole' Chinese food in the world" Spencer said

"Okay, I wasn't sure what you ladies liked so I bought a bit of everything" He said as he checked the contents of the bag.

"And I bought the drinks" Spencer said proudly. Emily eyed them and let out a laugh

"I guess we have a plan now" she said as she walked to the kitchen

"Yeah" Ezra said as he drag all the contents out of the bag and placed them on the kitchen table "Thanks to me, it took a while to convince this stubborn lady to come and get out of her house but here we are"

"Shut up" Spencer growled from outside the kitchen.

"Are you going to drink wine?" Emily asked to Spencer as she eyed the wine bottle in the table "I thought you said you were done with the alcohol"

"I am" Spencer said "The wine is for you two… and I might drink a bit… but only a cup"

"Fine with me, more wine for me and Emily" Ezra said exiting the kitchen and walking in the living room.

Emily observed as he stood in front of the TV checking the remote control trying to find how it worked and then she observed Spencer checking on the books that were on the shelves; it might be an unexpected visit, but Emily was definitely happy to have them both there, she wasn't in the mood now to be alone until tomorrow so it was a blast to have friends there.

"You're going to break that" Spencer said to Ezra as she watched him touching all the buttons of the remote control

"I'm not" Ezra said

"Stop touching everything!" Spencer growled at him.

"What do you say Ems" Ezra said ignoring Spencer and turning around to face Emily "Are you in the mood for a movie?"

"Uh… I guess" Emily said smiling

"Don't worry, I brought like ten movies, so we could pick one so…" Ezra said as he looked for something "Spence, where did you put the bag with the movies?" He asked

"Which bag?" Spencer asked

"The one I brought with all the movies inside" He said

"You were carrying the bag" Spencer said

"No… you were" Ezra said

"No"

"You left it in the car!" Ezra said, he took a deep breath and then smiled as if nothing had happened "Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll go back to the car to bring the bag"

"Okay" Emily said trying not to laugh.

Ezra walked to the door and exited the apartment and the moment he was out Spencer and Emily burst out laughing.

"The bag is there actually" Spencer said when she stopped laughing, she pointed to a spot near the couch

"He's going to lose his nerves looking for it in the car" Emily said

"Let's not say a word, he will come back when he realizes it" Spencer commented.

Emily let out a laugh and walked to the kitchen to prepare all the food, Spencer eyed her and then walked behind her to help; they stood in silence for a moment placing the food on the plates and preparing the glasses.

"How have you been?" Spencer asked all of a sudden. Emily turned around and smiled at her.

"Fine" She said "Busy with the classes…"

"I haven't seen you since… you know, our awkward 'hang out night'" Spencer said

"That was a fun night" Emily said laughing

"I'm trying to forget it" Spencer said

"You seemed to be having a nice time" Emily said

"Yeah, being dragged out of a bar by a friend and a student is amazing" Spencer said "How embarrassing"

"Don't worry, your reputation is intact and that secret is safe with us" Emily said

"I hope that, because if that girl tells something I am going to make her fail all the exams" Spencer growled with seriousness. Emily looked at her with a raised eyebrow "And it would be a shame… I like McCullers…" Spencer said

"All the teachers seems to love her" Emily said suddenly, she remembered how Ezra and the coach described Paige.

"She's a brilliant student, all her grades are perfect and she is polite and nice" Spencer said "What a shame that her mom is a pain in the ass"

"Wow" Emily said laughing. Spencer sat in one of the chairs and sighed deeply

"Don't get me wrong, she's a wonderful doctor, and really professional but damn she's really intense" Spencer said "And I am no expert in human relations but…. That woman treats her daughter as if she was shit"

"I feel really bad for her" Emily said sadly

"Yeah, me too, but we can't do anything for her, I mean, is her mom… we can't get in the middle" Spencer said

"I know…"

"But I trust that Paige won't say a word" Spencer said with confidence

"She said that she wouldn't" Emily said

"And… changing our subject…" Spencer said smiling devilishly "Ezra told me"

"Told you what?" Emily asked confused

"That same night, he met a girl…" Spencer said still smiling "And he said is perfect for you"

"Ugh… you too?" Emily said

"It could be a nice opportunity Emily" Spencer said "She's single, you're single… you both are gay…"

"Spence, the fact that two people are gay doesn't mean that they have to date each other you know?" Emily asked

"No, but that means that you have a chance with each other, and who said anything about dating?" Spencer asked, she stood up and approached Emily "You could just have fun, you know, give your body a nice time"

"I am not ready" Emily said "I don't want to meet anyone"

"Ready?" Spencer asked "What are you waiting for?"

"It's complicated" Emily said sadly

"What happened to you to make you so scared of love?" Spencer asked concerned when she saw Emily's hurt expression

"It's a really long story" Emily answered simply

"That you obviously aren't going to share with me" Spencer concluded with sadness

"I am not ready to share this with anyone" Emily confessed "I wish I could, but I can't"

"It's okay" Spencer said

The door opened and Ezra came in with a frustrated expression; he walked to the kitchen and crossed his arms over his chest as she saw Emily and Spencer laughing at him.

"The bag is here huh?" He asked

"Sorry" Spencer said "I couldn't resist"

"You ladies are going to pay for that" Ezra commented as he walked to the living room.

"Whatever you say, but now let's eat, I am starving" Spencer said smiling to Emily.

 _9 years ago_

Paige stood in front of the door with trembling legs and sweaty hands; she had been trying to do this all week but she hadn't had the courage to do it; she was simply scared. She had been all day trying to gain the courage necessary to do this and it wasn't until she found herself alone in the house that she decided to do this.

Her mother was working, it wasn't anything new, she had a double shift and her dad had a surgery so he wasn't at home either; so her sister Cassie decided that it was the perfect moment to sneak out with her boyfriend Noel and go to his cabin in the woods; she always said that they were going to watch movies, even though Paige knew that they didn't watch any movie, she entered in Cassie's room once and saw she and Noel lying on the bed and Cassie was shirtless and the TV was off…

And last but not least, Liam was gone for the weekend, he had convinced their parents to let him go to a friend's house to spend the weekend there. So Paige was alone, even though she was supposed to be with Cassie.

But the truth was that she was actually glad to be alone; the past month had been a torture for her, she cried every night, and during the day, she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, she only wanted to be alone.

It had been a month since Emily left and as the days passed Paige was starting to accept that she might not come back never again. That feeling made her chest hurt really badly; she missed her a lot and she didn't know how to stop it.

When her grandma Molly died two years ago she had cried too, and she had been devastated for a while and she had missed her too but it passed quickly, after all she was old and she didn't know her too well, but now was really different; she just wanted Emily to come back, she wanted to see her again.

Her sister had tried to talk to her that night, she tried to be nice and have a nice conversation but Paige just wanted to be alone so she yelled at her and told her to leave her alone. And Cassie did what she was told, she didn't like to see her little sister so hurt, but she didn't want to argue so she went and left Paige in her room.

After a few hours of crying, Paige finally decided that she didn't want to be all night locked in her room, she had her eyes red and her head ached from all the tears.

So now here she was, standing in front of Emily's house; not exactly knowing what she was doing there. She rubbed her eyes and fixed her clothes a bit as she thought about what she was going to say. She was pretty aware that Emily wasn't going to open the door, she had finally accepted that she was gone; at first one of the things that kept her from going to that house was because she didn't want to remember Emily, the first weeks she had been waiting for her, and she had decided to not go to her house.

She knocked the door timidly, she thought that no one will hear the knocking but after a few seconds she heard steps and the door opened slowly.

"Paige…" Pam's voice sounded weak, and really sad. Paige couldn't help to notice that the woman was in terrible condition; she was wearing a robe, and had her pajama on as if she had spent all day in bed… also she had her eyes red and seemed tired.

"Hi" Paige said softly. Pam observed her; she didn't understand what the girl was doing there.

"Is everything okay?" Pam asked concerned as she looked at Paige.

Paige sniffed and looked down embarrassed, she didn't know what to say, and didn't know what she was doing there to be exact, maybe she didn't want to feel so lonely with all this pain.

"Yeah…" She mumbled

"W-what are you doing here?" Pam asked curiously.

"I don't want to be alone" Paige said softly

"Are your parents out?" Pam asked, Paige nodded and looked down once again.

Pam felt like crap that day; it had been a month since her daughter had left and she felt like the worst person in the world; she wasn't used to come every day to an empty house and not see her daughter's face; she missed her so much and it hurt more every day. So that Sunday when she woke up she just decided that she wasn't going to get out of bed, not today, today she needed a moment so stop and just cry and be sad.

But now that she was at the door with Paige; she kind of understood that she wasn't the only one suffering; they Pam hadn't see Paige since the day Emily left, but she knew that the girl must have been having a hard time with the situation.

Now she seemed so small, there at her door, with her little eyes red and her hands tucked in her pockets as she waited for her to say something. It made Pam's heart melt.

"Come with me" Pam said, she grabbed Paige's hand and pulled her inside the house.

They walked to the kitchen in silence, Pam didn't know what to say at first; she just knew that she wanted to help Paige; she wanted to take the pain away from her…

"Are you hungry?" Pam asked. Paige looked at her and nodded frantically

"Yes" She said

"Okay then, do you like pasta?" Pam asked again reaching in one of the kitchen cupboards.

"Yes…" Paige said again.

Pam turned around to face her and smiled sweetly at Paige as she grabbed her hand; she looked at the girl in the eyes and was surprised to see the depth in Paige's look, they reminded silent for a moment.

"You still miss her" Pam said in a whisper

"A lot" Paige said, she fought her tears but her lip quivered a bit.

"Me too" Pam said, she moved and hugged Paige for a moment, the girl wrapped her arms around her and they reminded silent as they hugged each other

Then Pam pulled apart and wiped her tears as she turned around again to start dinner; she opened the pasta box and checked that she had the rest of the ingredients.

"You know" She said as she handed Paige a cookie so she could eat something while she waited "I don't want to be alone either" Pam said "You could come here more often"

"Really?" Paige asked with a smile

"Yes" Pam said "You can come here whenever you want Paige, you're always welcomed here"

* * *

 _Present day_

Emily was sat on the couch, with a coup of wine in her hands as she listened to the background music that her mom started a while ago. She had arrived early, but she didn't care, she liked to have her mom's company again, after all these years and also she kind of preferred to not be alone.

Even though yesterday she spent the whole day with company; after her walk with Paige, she spent the rest of the day and part of the night with Spencer and Ezra, and it was a great time, more than great it was amazing; they watched a movie and after that they had dinner and played games, then they just drank and talked about stuff and then Spencer fell asleep on her couch so she just slept there until the morning.

Emily sipped her wine and looked around the living room, her mom was in the kitchen finishing the lasagna and they both were waiting for Paige to come, Pam said that she was about to come.

And after a couple of seconds the bell rang, Emily placed her cup on the table and stood up quickly.

"Can you get the door?" Pam yelled from the kitchen. Emily opened it and was welcomed by the sight of Paige who seemed to be extremely beautiful tonight.

"Hi" Emily said simply, Paige seemed to be a bit confused and shy but she smiled at her

"Hi Emily" She said.

She walked inside of the house and when she walked next to Emily, Emily couldn't help to notice the sweet smell of Paige, she smelled like strawberries, or something really sweet, and she was really beautiful… she was dressed in tight black jeans that hugged her curves perfectly and was wearing a grey tank top that fit amazingly on her body.

Then Emily realized that she was checking out the girl and she just shook her head and closed the door. They both walked into the living room and Emily noticed that Paige was carrying a big black bag.

"Well, here we are again" Emily said as she sat on the couch once again "It's nice to see you again"

"Yeah, I promise I won't run away this time" Paige joked as she sat too.

They reminded silent for a moment and then Pam walked in with a bright smile as she looked at Paige.

"Hi honey" She said as she waited for Paige to stand up; Paige leaned closer and kissed Pam's cheek lovingly and then sat again. Emily observed the action and whished that Paige would've greeted her with a kiss too…

"Sorry for being a bit late" Paige said "I had to finish something"

"It's okay Paige; how was work?" Pam asked nonchalantly as she fixed her clothes. Emily looked at Paige curiously; she didn't know she had a job.

"Exhausting" Paige said as she sighed deeply "I had to follow Dimitri all around the woods holding the camera tripod and all the bags; and we took like thousands of photos…"

"Well, now you can rest" Pam said smiling "Look at the great part… you got payed"

"Yeah, that's amazing, but I can't feel my feet" Paige said

Pam let out a laugh and walked into the kitchen again to finish dinner; Emily eyed Paige for a moment and smiled as she saw the girl rubbing her neck.

"So… you have a job" Emily said trying to start a conversation. Paige raised her head and made eye contact with her

"Yes" she answered

"How cool… I thought your mom didn't let you work yet" Emily commented

"Oh, she won't let me, but I don't give a fuck about what she cares" Paige said with anger "I… mean she clearly said that she didn't want me to work… but I just decided to accept the job since I like it" Paige corrected. Emily laughed and nodded.

"What is the job about?" She asked curiously. Paige grabbed the black bag she was wearing before and opened it, then she grabbed a camera from inside.

"I'm a photographer" Paige said

"Wow… I never expected that" Emily said surprised but proud

"Well I am not a professional, I have to learn a lot but I like to work at the studio with Dimitri… he is the weirdest guy in the planet, but he's so good" Paige said

"Who would've said that Paige McCullers would end up being a photographer?" Emily said jokingly. Paige laughed and shrugged her shoulders

"I don't know, I just found a camera in my garage one day and that's how the magic started" Paige said

"You always had a particular way to see everything" Emily commented "It's nice that you have a way to show everyone how you see the life, with your photos"

"Thanks" Paige said as she blushed intensely

"Does that mean that you're going to become a famous photographer in the future?" Emily asked; Paige eyed her trying to continue with the jokes and the nice conversation they were having but then she felt a pang of sadness in her chest, she looked down and sighed.

"I don't think so" She mumbled as she looked at her feet. Emily looked at her with a concerned expression.

"Paige…"

"My mom wants me to be a doctor" Paige said

"She can't decide your future for you" Emily said, she placed a hand on Paige's knee ignoring all the tingles this caused on her and trying to be soothing

"She's the one paying the college, and the one letting me live in her house, and the one that pays my bills and pretty much everything; plus you know it's not so easy to say no to Claire McCullers" Paige said sadly

"I know" Emily said "Hey" She said again when she saw Paige's upset face; she placed a hand on her chin making her look at her and smiled sweetly "But now your mom is not here, tonight is just us and my mom"

"Right" Paige said as she smiled softly "It's been a long time since we didn't have dinner together" She commented nonchalantly. She stood up and walked to the kitchen to help Pam bring the food to the table.

Emily sat on the couch with a pang of guilt inside of her body; she knew Paige never said those things with the intention of hurt her but Emily always felt really bad when she remembered that she left Paige behind when she left.

She was submerged in her thought when Pam and Paige entered the living room chatting quietly and laughing as they carried the plates with lasagna and a bottle of wine and the glasses.

Emily stood up to help them and couldn't help but observe the interaction between her mother and Paige; it was like they were family now, the way Paige trusted Pam and talked to her and the way Pam treated Paige with such love and endearment was as if they had become family during all this years.

They sat at the table and started to eat quietly; Emily at first felt a bit weird; sitting in the living room, having dinner with her mom as they used to do when she was a teenager.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now" Pam said as she swallowed her lasagna; she looked at Emily and then at Paige and smiled "It's been a long time since something like this happened"

"It's been a long time since we had dinner together" Paige agreed as she looked at Emily

"I've missed this so much" Emily said. Pam smiled at her and raised her cup of wine "To family reunions" She said

"And to your lasagna" Paige said "The best lasagna ever"

Pam and Emily laughed at this and finished the toast by drinking the wine; Pam eyed Paige swallow the alcohol and then smacked her shoulder softly

"Be careful with the alcohol young lady" Pam said raising an eyebrow "Remember that you're not twenty one yet"

"Sorry" Paige muttered as she placed the cup on the table "I'll drink water"

"That's better" Pam said

"Don't worry Paige" Emily said laughing "She won't let me drink alcohol when I was young too"

"Oh she can drink alcohol" Pam said "But I don't want to repeat the Christmas episode of two years ago"

Paige burst out laughing and Emily looked at them confused but knowing that it would be something funny

"What happened?" She asked curiously. Pam looked at her as she smiled

"This one over there" She said pining at Paige "Convinced me to open the bottle of whiskey your grandad gave to me; she said she wanted to try it"

"And that did not end good right?" Emily asked

"No" Paige said as she laughed

"One shot became four… and eight…" Pam said

"We pretty much ended up drank" Paige said

Emily nearly spitted out her lasagna, and she looked at her mom really surprised, she never saw Pam drink more than one or two cups, and obviously she never saw her mom drunk.

"No way" She said as she laughed

"Yeah" Pam commented "Actually I didn't realize that we had drank so much until I got up from the couch and I realized that I was dizzy"

"We got a bit carried away" Paige said

"Just a bit?" Pam asked "You threw up in my mom's base" She said laughing; Emily remembered that vase, Pam had it since she left Texas.

"I already said sorry" Paige said

"It's okay… I never liked that vase so much anyways" Pam commented

Emily laughed hard; she didn't remember when was the last time she got to laugh so much; she had a nice time last night with Ezra and Spencer but now she was nearly crying from laughing.

Pam and Paige sure had lived a lot of things together and Pam just started to tell some stories about them a few years ago; it was cute to see how Paige blushed when Pam told some embarrassing story and also it was fun to hear to them.

* * *

They talked and laughed for what it seemed forever; and after they finished the lasagna they just reminded there talking until Pam brought the dessert and then they just started the nice conversation again.

Emily finally forgot any kind of awkwardness she had been feeling at first and then she just relaxed and even told some anecdote from when she was in California.

Paige listened to her intently and they laughed and finally they ended up chatting quietly as they finished the apple pie.

"Okay ladies, I am going to wash all this" Pam said as she got up from the table.

"Do you want any help?" Paige asked.

"No; no you two stay here" Pam said as she carried the plates to the kitchen.

Emily and Paige sat on the couch again and looked at each other for a moment; now they were alone again.

They could hear Pam humming a song from the kitchen as she washed the dishes and they smiled softly.

"Thank you for inviting me tonight" Emily said sincerely as she looked at Paige

"It was nothing… it's your mom's house anyway" Paige said.

Emily looked at her for a moment and then let out a sigh as she smiled; she sat a bit closer next to Paige and then placed her hand atop the girl's.

"It means a lot to me that you still want to spend time with me after all the pain I caused you" Emily said. Paige swallowed hard at the confession and when she noticed how close they were.

"We said we wanted a fresh start" Paige said

"Yes… I am really glad that you were here for my mom, all these years" Emily said gratefully.

"She was the only thing that could keep me connected with you" Paige confessed "Plus she was always there for me"

"I'm glad to hear that" Emily said; at this point she was so close to Paige that she could hear the girl's breathing. "You didn't deserve what I did to you"

Emily reached out her hand and placed it on Paige's cheek; she caressed the soft skin with her thumb and observed as Paige closed her eyes at the contact.

Paige's breath hitched in her throat and the skin on her cheek tingled furiously as she felt Emily's hand there. She closed her eyes to be able to feel everything better and sighed deeply.

Emily watched the scene with a soft smile; Paige's skin was so soft… and she looked so beautiful with her eyes closed and her mouth slightly parted…

Paige opened her eyes a second later and blushed really intensely as she saw Emily's face so close to her and the look in her eyes; Emily's hand was still on her cheek and they just reminded silent for a moment.

And then Emily leaned her head a bit, it was a slow movement but suddenly her lips were just mere inches from Paige's, she could feel the girl's breath in her mouth and then she closed her eyes as she thought about closing the distance that separated their faces.

Paige was so blushed at this point that she could hear her heart beating in her ears; Emily had closed her eyes and she was clearly going to kiss her, she was so close to her mouth that their lips almost brushed. So Paige parted her lips a bit as she waited for the unexpected kiss…

"Okay girls" Pam said exiting the kitchen

Emily opened her eyes startled and Paige almost jumped to the floor when she heard Pam's voice; she pulled back immediately and sat as far from Emily as she could.

"I'm done" Pam said smiling "And I am really tired"

Emily smiled nervously and stood up quickly trying to avoid eye contact with Paige. What the hell she was doing?! She was about to kiss one of her students, and she was even enjoying the moment…

"You can stay here if you want" Pam said "I think I am going to bed"

"I… think I am going to head home" Emily said nervously

"Oh" Pam said

"Tomorrow we have class and I have to read some papers" Emily said; she looked briefly at Paige; the girl was still sat in the couch, her gaze fixed in some point on the floor as she tried to process what just happened

"Well then, I guess our night is over" Pam said sadly "I hope we can repeat this soon"

"Uh… yeah, totally, we have to do this again" Emily said.

Paige stood up too and walked to Pam ignoring Emily completely; Emily looked at her but didn't try to catch her attention or to say something

"I should go too" Paige said simply.

"Okay sweetheart, be careful" She said looking at Emily and Paige.

Pam kissed Paige's cheek and hugged Emily and walked upstairs happily; Paige looked at Emily for a moment once she realized that they were alone again and then she just walked to the front door.

Emily walked behind her and they both exited the house in silence; Paige was trying to figure out what to say or what to do; she was really confused now, what had just happened? Emily was really going to kiss her… or she just imagined it…

"Paige…" Emily said once they were outside. Paige looked at her but didn't say anything; the truth was that Emily was out of words too so they looked at each other for a moment

"Good night" Paige said simply; she turned around and started to walk to her house.

Emily stood in the porch with a confused expression and wanting to hit something, she just ruined all the new start she had with Paige, she ruined it by being stupid and not thinking about what she was doing.

"Good night" She whispered with sadness as she tucked her hands in the pocket of her jeans and started to walk along the street.

She had made a huge mistake tonight; she couldn't believe that she was just about to kiss Paige, how she could even think about it…. Her skin was so soft… and she was so beautiful tonight… but those weren't excuses to what she was about to do.

The only thing that crossed her mind now was how she was going to be able to have class with senior year and look at Paige in the face…

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: It was a mistake…

 _13 years ago_

Emily was standing at the door with her hands tucked in the pockets of her jacket and humming a song as she waited for someone to notice her standing outside. She had rang the bell a few times and was planning on doing it one more time, but fortunately she heard steps approaching the door.

"Hi Ems" Liam said happily as he greeted her. Liam was a nice kid, he was short for his age and he avoided any kind of conversation that led to talk about his height, but he was a sweet and kind boy.

"Liam, hi" Emily said smiling. Liam looked at her smiling stupidly as he used to do when he saw Emily around.

"What are you doing here?" He asked finally trying to not sound too curious. Emily pointed at the bag she was carrying on her right shoulder.

"Study date with your sister" She said simply

"Oh" Liam said kind of disappointed; he smiled and moved from the door so Emily could go inside

"Is she in her room?" Emily asked. She turned around and saw Liam standing behind her with his gaze a little bit lower than it should; he immediately cleared his throat and gulped audibly. Emily clearly caught him staring at her butt.

"Uh… no" Liam said blushing furiously and fidgeting with his hands nervously

There was a loud thud coming from upstairs, it sounded as if someone just fell to the floor or as if someone just dropped something really heavy to the floor; Emily looked up startled and Liam laughed. They immediately heard someone yelling and some laughter.

"Bath day" Liam said raising his eyebrows as he laughed. Emily looked at him curiously but didn't say a word.

Liam tucked his hands on the giant pockets of his sweatpants and walked again to the living room where he was pretending to study while he played videogames.

Emily finally decided to head upstairs and see what was happening; the sounds didn't stop and she was starting to get worried, it sounded as if someone was running around frantically.

And when she arrived to the top of the stairs she finally saw what was happening. The first thing she noticed was a five year old child running completely naked around the floor and a really tired Cassie running behind her.

"PAIGE!" Cassie yelled at the top of her lungs in a desperate attempt to catch her sister's attention. Paige giggled and entered her sister's room without answering her Cassie's plea.

"I can't with her! Fucking kid" Cassie mumbled as she rubbed her temples furiously

She raised her head and seemed to notice Emily standing there; Emily smiled at her a bit confused by the situation.

"Emily" Cassie said

"I think like I might regret asking this… but what's going on?" Emily asked curiously as she pointed to the room Paige just entered a few seconds ago.

"My sister…" Cassie started as she sighed deeply "Can be the sweetest little girl in the world, but she can be the devil sometimes" She said

"Paige Marie McCullers!" Cassie said "I'm giving you three seconds to come out of my room"

"Or what?" Paige asked with a cheery voice

"Or I am going to kick your pretty little ass out of my fucking bed!" Cassie said annoyed, it seemed like Paige was jumping on the bed since they could hear it.

"You said a bad word" Paige said without replying to her sister's threat. Emily covered her mouth to suppress a laugh and Cassie sighed in frustration as she walked to the room.

When Emily and Cassidy entered the room the sight was really funny, Emily let out a small laugh and Cassie tried to control her anger to not end up throwing her sister a shoe or something.

Paige was naked, but far for feeling embarrassed or maybe a bit concerned about it she seemed to be pretty happy; she was humming a song as she jumped over Cassie's bed not caring about her sister's anger and obviously not caring about Emily's presence.

"Paige for the millionth time… you HAVE to get dressed" Cassie said

"No!" Paige said

"PAIGE" Cassie sad annoyed

"I don't want to get dressed"

"For fuck's sake" Cassie said as she rubbed her forehead

"Is always like this?" Emily whispered to Cassie as she eyed Paige as the girl jumped around

"Only when she eats much sugar… everything was going okay during the bath…" Cassie commented

"Why did you give her sugar then?" Emily joked. Cassie looked at her seriously and then looked at Paige.

"My genius… and by genius I am being totally sarcastic… my super genius brother Liam and this little booger over there" She said pointing to Paige "Ate a whole giant chocolate bar and a whole bag of candies…"

"Why did you let them?" Emily asked

"I didn't, they were supposed to be here alone for twenty minutes" Cassie said

"Look Cassie, I jump higher" Paige said as she raised her tiny arms and laughed

"For the love of God Paige… if you want to jump, I can let you jump if you want to but put your clothes on please!"

"No" Paige said again

"You need to learn some other word" Cassie said, she crossed her arms over her chest and clenched her jaw in anger "I swear I am going to call mom if you don't listen to me!"

"Mom is working" Paige said, she stopped jumping for a second and looked at her sister with her big brown eyes and folded arms "She never answers the phone"

"Then I am going to throw you one of my heaviest books" Cassie threatened.

Emily observed Paige as she went back to jumping and then eyed Cassie who was losing her nerves at that point; she had an idea and approached Cassie quietly.

"Do you mind if I try?" Emily asked in a whisper

"Do you want to deal with this little devil?" Cassie asked; Emily smiled and nodded

"I could try"

"She's all yours" Cassie said handing Emily Paige's clothes, she sighed deeply and exited the room leaving Paige and Emily alone.

Emily smiled sweetly as she eyed the little girl happily singing and jumping and then she sat on the bed without saying a word; Paige looked at her curiously but continued jumping.

"I like this shirt" Emily said as she looked at the shirt Cassie handed her a moment ago; it was a white shirt with a blue flower on it

"Dad gave it to me" Paige said "For my birthday"

"Do you like flowers?" Emily asked.

"Yesss" Paige said happily as she let her body collapse on the bed next to Emily

"I like flowers too"

"You could come to find flowers with me one day" Paige whispered to Emily

"I would love to, but… you should plan to put some clothes someday, you know, going outside to find flowers naked is kind of a bad idea" Emily said with a dramatic tone. Paige furrowed a bit and sat on the bed

"I don't like wearing clothes" She said

"Me neither, but tell you something; it's necessary for people to wear them" Emily said

"Why?" Paige asked raising an eyebrow "Liam is all day in underwear and no one is mad at him"

"But at least he wears underwear" Emily said laughing "You're not ashamed that some other people can see you naked?" she asked

Paige seemed to think about the question, she hadn't seen it that way; she bite the inside of her lip and then nodded

"I wanted to play" She whispered

"You can do it with your clothes on honey" Emily said laughing "Tell you what, you put this now and I promise you that we will go find flowers before dinner" She said smiling; Paige's eyes brightened and she smiled as she clapped her tiny hands at the news.

"Fine" She said standing up to allow Emily to put her clothes.

"Okay" Emily said, she grabbed Paige's panties and helped her into them and then she helped her put the sweatpants

"Raise your arms" She asked as she tried to put the shirt on Paige. Paige did as she was told and finally she was completely dressed.

"Done" Paige said smiling

"Yeah, done" Emily said; she leaned a bit and kissed the top of Paige's head

"How the hell did you do this?" Cassie said with surprise as she entered the room and saw her sister fully dressed

"We're going to find flowers!" Paige said happily as she giggled

"She just needed a bit of time" Emily said

"Yeah a bit of time to kill my patience…" Cassie mumbled "You're like a life safer or something"

"It wasn't too much" Emily said

"You should definitely live here" Cassie said "Or better… why don't you take the little booger to your house"

"Yay" Paige said as she jumped on Emily's arms unexpectedly "I want to go home with you"

"Well… you can come whenever you want" Emily said "But you have to live here with your sister, at least until you're eighteen or maybe twenty"

"No way, I swear one of these days I am going to grab my mom's car and disappear" Cassie said

"You know you love your sister even if it's really deep in your heart" Emily said laughing.

"Ugh of course I do!" Cassie said, she walked to Emily and lifted Paige from her arms and tickled her for a moment "I love you my little booger… even if you're a pain in the ass" She said kissing Paige's cheek several times

"Stop saying bad words!" Paige said as she laughed

* * *

 _Present day_

"Fucking thing…" Paige mumbled as she saw her phone turning off at the lack of battery; she placed it on the table and sat back on the couch looking at the ceiling.

It was late at night; probably around one or two in the morning, and she was completely awake, she wasn't even a bit tired. Probably it might have something to do with the fact that her brain was working really hard now that she had the images of Emily's mouth so close to hers…

What the hell was that? She had been thinking nonstop about it since she got there and she couldn't really process all the information. She was almost sure that Emily was going to kiss her, she was close to her… their lips almost brusher…

Paige let out a deep sigh and rubbed her temples as she tried to order her thoughts; she couldn't be imagining this, couldn't she? Maybe all this was just a product of her imagination and Emily was just being nice to her and she was not going to kiss her, maybe it was just a misunderstanding.

The light turned on behind her and she heard some steps; then Liam's figure appeared next to her with a confused look.

Paige ended up in her brother's apartment; she got home after her dinner at Pam's house but all the thoughts were killing her so she decided that she didn't want to spend the night alone. Caleb and Liam were always happy to have her there so she just decided to go there for the night

"What the hell are you doing up?" Liam asked; he had her eyes red and sleepy, probably he just got up a moment ago, and as usual he was only wearing his boxers; Paige was used to that so she didn't care at all, as long as it was not Caleb the one walking half naked around everything was good.

"Hi bro" Paige said half smiling as she looked at her brother

"Couldn't sleep huh?" He asked; Paige looked at him with a serious expression and shook her head.

"No… not really"

"Well" Liam said, he sat on the couch next to Paige and placed the glass of milk he had in his hands on the table, Paige just realized that he had a glass of milk…

"Join the club" Liam said as he laughed

"You can't sleep too?" Paige asked

"No, I have so many things in my head" Liam said "Besides I can't sleep when there's someone in my living room making noises"

"Sorry" Paige said, her brother was referring to when she tripped with the table when she walked in the living room a while ago

"It's okay" He said "But… are you going to tell me what is keeping you awake tonight?" he asked. Paige looked down and sighed deeply, this was actually not so easy to tell; what she should tell her brother: 'oh guess why, Emily our old friend that is now my teacher and is ten years older almost kissed me, and by the way I think that I might like her as more than a friend'

She couldn't say that, not to her brother, not to anyone; she couldn't just talk about this, it was complicated and she knew that it was not right.

"I had a fight with mom" Paige said suddenly. Liam raised an eyebrow and smiled

"Is that it?" He asked

"You know how she gets when she's mad" Paige said

"I know" Liam said, he approached his sister and smacked her shoulder lightly "And I also know that you have the temper enough to not minding at all that she's mad at you"

"I hate that she thinks that I am like her" Paige said

"Yeah, but you're not, and you know it, that's what matters"

"Have you ever… felt like doing something that is not right… but that you still want to do even if it's bad?" Paige asked suddenly. Liam looked at her curiously

"I am not the most indicated person to give you advice on this" Liam said "You know I never do the most right things"

"I know" Paige said

"And you shouldn't do the right thing only because is right; look mom can think whatever she wants, but in the end is your life, you should do whatever you want not caring if it's the right thing to do or the wrong thing" He said. Paige breathed a bit relived that her brother had understood her question as something related to her mom and not understanding the real meaning.

"Thanks" Paige said smiling sincerely

"Here" Liam said as he handed the glass of milk to Paige "You need this more than I do"

"How sweet of you" Paige said taking a big sip that left a small milk mustache on her upper lip

"I am going to go back to bed" Liam said "You should stop thinking too much about everything and just enjoy your life, mom might be complicated but she can't decide your future for you"

Paige nodded and smiled sadly; Liam stood up and stretched out his body before walking to the door, before exiting the living room he turned to see his sister

"And for the love of everything, go to sleep, it's half past one in the morning and you have class tomorrow"

"Yes _dad_ " Paige said jokingly as she finished the glass of milk.

* * *

Emily was sat on the school's cafeteria with a big vegan sandwich in her hands and her gaze fixed in some point on the floor as she chewed her food. Spencer walked in and spotted her sitting alone so she walked next to the table.

"Hi" She said happily as she sat next to Emily and started to drag her food out of a small bag; after a second she realized that Emily wasn't listening, that she didn't even noticed her and she sighed deeply "Em!" Spencer said as she elbowed the girl next to her.

"Uh… hey… Spencer" Emily said with a small smile; Spencer let out a laugh and opened her salad box to start eating.

"Someone's tired I assume" Spencer said "You look really bad today… I mean you seem to be tired"

Emily coughed a bit and placed the sandwich on the plate, she wasn't hungry after all, and the truth was that she was not tired; maybe a bit because she slept really late but today her mind was totally consumed by her thoughts.

Last night she almost made a huge mistake; she was about to kiss Paige, she was about to kiss her and she had no excuse for what she did, it was a stupid thing to do; she just didn't think about what she was doing and now probably she screwed up things between her and Paige.

She was pretty sure that Paige had saw her intentions, it was pretty obvious that she was going to kiss her and the worst thing was that after it Emily noticed that Paige was nervous so, she probably scared her a bit. But obviously she wasn't going to say that to Spence, she couldn't just say that she was distracted because she was thinking about an eighteen year old girl that was also her student and that she also felt a sudden attraction for Paige. 'Wait… attraction?!' Emily thought as she widened her eyes in horror.

"I… yeah, I am tired" She said clearing her throat "I had dinner with my mom yesterday and it ended pretty late"

"You're bonding with her again huh?" Spencer asked smiling

"Yes" Emily said "It's nice to have her around again, I never realized how much I had missed her"

"I'm glad that you had another chance with her, it's so cool" Spencer commented

"I know… I never imagined that after all these years she was going to be able to forgive me and accept me again" Emily said sincerely

"Well, family is family" Spencer said "Plus Pam Fields is the sweetest woman in the town"

"You… know her?" Emily asked

"Of course" Spencer said to a mouthful of salad, she chewed for a moment and swallowed so she could continue talking "Everyone here knows Pam" She said "She is nice and talkative and gets along easy with everyone… well almost everyone"

"What do you mean?" Emily asked curiously

"Ugh I'm not sure if I can tell this since I don't really know the whole story but, she has her little fights with Claire McCullers"

"Claire?" Emily asked surprised. She knew that Pam and Claire were never friends but they never had a problem, not that she remembered though…

"Yes, they don't get along, I think is because of Paige" Spencer said

"Why?" Emily asked

"I don't really know, I think is because the girl spends too much time with your mom" Spencer said "But as I said don't mind me too much, I don't know the whole story"

"My mom was never Claire's fan" Emily commented

"I know, actually I don't think she has any fan" Spencer said laughing "Okay, I should quit the gossip, I'm terrible at it"

Spencer continued laughing for a moment and Emily's mind just disconnected from the conversation; she turned her head as she thought and then she caught a sight of Paige sitting a few tables from them.

The girl was sitting next to Aria, she was eating an apple as she read a book; Emily bite her bottom lip as she observed Paige reading; she was so cute when she was concentrated, with her raised eyebrow… and licking her lips from time to time… the way she shrugged her nose.

Emily cleared her throat and swallowed as she returned her attention to the table, where Spencer was chatting quietly about some guy she met a few days ago.

"I don't know what to do" Spencer said sighing deeply

"About what?" Emily asked. Spencer looked at her with a killing glare and then rubbed her forehead

"About the date, Emily" She said

"Oh…"

"I have been talking to this guy over the internet for a few weeks now and… he said that he want to meet me, you know in person, but I don't know" Spencer said sadly

"Are you scared?" Emily asked

"I think so, I mean… we connect, and all that stuff but… I feel as if he's going to be disappointed when he sees me" Spencer said

"Or maybe he's going to fall madly in love with you the moment he sees you" Emily said

"Come on" Spencer said "It's not funny, look at me; I am a science teacher with social problems, I don't like to be with people and my perfect plan is staying home reading a book or watching documentaries"

"Maybe he loves documentaries or girls with social problems" Emily said "If you don't try you're never going to figure out if he likes you or not"

"I wish you have a girlfriend" Spencer said

"Why?"

"Because that way we could double date and it will be easier" Spencer commented

"Uh… I don't really know if I want to date anyone now" Emily said

"I know, and it sucks… you could always be our third wheel" Spencer joked

The bell rang suddenly and Spencer stood up picking up her stuff; she said a quick goodbye to Emily and ran all the way to the lab to start her next class.

Emily reminded sat at the table for a while; she had class with senior year now, and she was terrified of going. She was supposed to be a professional teacher, and be a responsible adult; but there she was, scared as hell of entering a class where she knew Paige was going to be.

"I feel like a teenager again" She whispered as she rubbed her temples, she remembered that time when she was scared to talk to Maya because she didn't know what to say, those times when she was even scared to look at her; and now she felt the same, but with Paige was a bit different.

She felt something really weird; it was like they had a magnet or something that pulled them together, but at the same time she felt a fear that overwhelmed her every time she thought about it; maybe she was just misunderstanding all the feelings she had for Paige; maybe after spending so much time together she had just mixed up all her emotions and she was only confused; maybe she wasn't attracted to Paige, maybe she just was feeling close to the girl again…

Finally she stood up and walked outside the cafeteria, she had a big lump in her throat and felt as if she was going to throw up, maybe she had been thinking too much about everything and now she was exhausted.

Someone closed a locker next to her and crushed against her on the way; Emily turned around a bit startled and was about to lecture that student when she saw Paige's face right in front of her.

"Uh… I'm sorry" Paige said nervously

"No problem" Emily said in answer trying to seem cool and not get so nervous. "You should relax a bit, you know, try to not crush everyone on your way" She said smiling, she remember all the times Paige had tripped with her or with something. Paige laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck

"Yeah… I just… didn't want to be late" She said

Emily nodded and they both reminded silent, it was uncomfortable, neither girl knew what to say next and they both were avoiding looking the other in the eyes.

"I should go" Paige whispered as she walked past Emily.

Emily sighed in frustration and shook her head trying to forget what just happened; she walked to the door and took a deep breath, she was going to enter the class and be the most professional person in the world, she was going to forget that Paige was… whatever she was becoming for her and just try to see her as a student.

And… it worked; most of the time. The class started a bit complicated since there were a few students that didn't stop talking; Emily finally got to silence everyone and continued with the lesson; but then there was Paige.

The girl was sat in the second row next to Aria, and today she was really beautiful; Paige had her hair tied up in a ponytail that fell over her left shoulder, she was wearing tight light blue jeans and a black tank top, Emily was glad that she was wearing a hoodie over the shirt so she wasn't tempted to look at the girl's perfect skin and her long toned arms… her cleavage.

She had a hard time to focus and also she noticed that Paige wasn't looking at her; she had her head propped on her right hand as she drew something on her notebook, and she never raised her gaze.

So when the bell rang signaling the end of the class Emily breathed relieved; the students exited quickly and Emily couldn't help but observe Paige while she picked up her stuff; she seemed to be upset or at least not as happy as other days.

Aria approached her and whispered something into Paige's ear and they both laughed; Emily looked at them from her spot behind the desk and sighed deeply as she thought about her relationship with Paige, probably she had ruined any chance of friendship now…

* * *

Paige and Aria walked finally out of the class, on their way Paige looked up and she made eye contact briefly with Emily who tried to not seem so affected, because Paige didn't smile at her, she didn't even waved a hand or said anything she just looked at her and walked outside.

"I hate school" Aria announced as she rubbed her temples

"We only have been there for two weeks" Paige said as she laughed

"I know, and I already know that I hate it" Aria said

"Well my friend, I have great news, this is our last year" Paige said proudly as she smiled "Our last year and we can be free"

She smiled a bit silent since she knew that maybe by this time the last year she would be studying medicine… Aria looked at her with an analytical look

"Hey" She said "Are you okay?" She asked, Paige looked at her and smiled

"Yes"

"Are you sure?" Aria asked again

"Yeah, I am fine"

"You don't seem so fine to me" Aria said concerned

"Why do you say so?" Paige asked

"Well, it's been like three or four days since you talked to me, at least out of school which is weird since you used to spend almost every afternoon with me, and other than that, because I know you Paige, and I know that you are going throw something that you don't want to tell me" Aria said

"It's complicated Aria" Paige said simply

"Paige… we've known each other for nine years" Aria said "We've been through a lot together, you know you can trust me"

"Look, you know that things at home are not okay, my mom… is a real pain in the ass and this year she's putting a lot of pressure on me" Paige said, actually that was not a lie, Claire was starting to become a real problem for Paige now and Paige as starting to get tired of it

"Is that it?" Aria asked looking at Paige in the eyes

"Yes, she… you know how she is, she always wants me to be the best in everything… she talked to my coach and is pressuring me now to work out in the pool at least one hour every night so I can get in shape"

"That sucks" Aria said

"She is taking this 'getting a scholarship' thing to another level, it seems like she's more interesting in sending me to college that to see if I am okay with this"

Aria looked down for a moment and then she approached Paige and crushed her in a tight hug as she rubbed her friend's back lovingly.

"You're the best swimmer I know Paigey" Aria said "You could get any scholarship, but also you're the most stubborn and brave person I know, you could just kick your mom's butt and ran away to follow your dream"

"That sounds good, but we both know that I am not going to do that" Paige said

"I know… okay" Aria said smiling suddenly "How about we forget about homework and school for one day and go out?"

"Actually it doesn't sound that bad" Paige commented

"Of course not, and you owe me since you kind of abandoned me this week"

"Okay then, let's go out"

* * *

When Emily closed the front door of her mom's house she wished that she had grabbed an umbrella before exiting her apartment; she had had the feeling that it might rain that day but she ignored it.

After school she had been alone in her place trying to not think too much about all the events that happened in the past days and she just decided to have a nice lunch time at home with a movie and some pizza. But as the hours passed she just started to feel alone and guilty about what happened with Paige and fortunately when she was at the verge of a new panic attack her mom called.

Pam had prepared a nice dinner, and she decided to invite Emily over; actually the dinner was just an excuse to have her daughter around but Emily was happy to be able to share this with her mom.

They were starting to feel like a family again, Emily found herself visiting her mom almost daily when she exited the school and Pam was more than glad to have her over; Emily had missed her mom so much that she just wanted to spend as much time as she could with her.

And that night they talked about absolutely everything; Pam decided to tell Emily about her life these past years, she told her about her job and her friends, also told her that she had tried to date a man a few years ago but she had decided to end things because she didn't feel as if it was the right time to date anyone. And Emily told her about a few things that happened to her in California even if she tried to avoid a few issues; she told her about college and how she met Ezra and they pretty much ended up talking in the couch with a glass of wine until it was too late.

When Pam stood up and looked at the clock they realized that it was almost two in the morning, it seemed like dinners at Pam's house were starting to end really late and Pam decided that she had to go to bed since she had to work early and Emily decided to go home.

The rain had started a few hours ago, when Emily and Pam where finishing the roast beef and the potatoes, it started with a thunder and then it started to rain really hard. So now Emily was standing on her mom's porch without the keys to get back into the house and with no car.

She sighed deeply and looked up to the sky, it didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon and also the light in her mom's room was off so probably she was already asleep.

Emily tucked her hands in the pockets of her jacket and started to walk through the street trying not to think too much about the cold air and the rain. She was just looking at her feet as she walked and then she passed next to a familiar house.

She didn't really know why she looked up, maybe it was just because of a routine, she always looked to the house but she raised her gaze and surprisingly saw a really familiar figure sitting on the porch and completely soaked.

"Paige…" Emily said as she approached the girl. Paige looked up when she heard someone calling her name, and she felt a sudden 'sparkle' in her stomach when she saw Emily in front of her; she sighed deeply, it was like Emily and her were always finding each other.

"Hi" Paige said with a low voice

"What are you doing here?" Emily asked, Paige was completely soaked from the rain and she seemed to be upset.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm enjoying the rain" Paige said sarcastically. Emily eyed her but didn't say a word; Paige sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I forgot my keys" Paige said finally

"Are your parents inside?" Emily asked pointing to the house

"They were going to be, but apparently their social date took longer than expected" Paige said, Emily looked at her confused "Ugh… they had an event tonight to get cash for cancer investigation or something like that, and they said that they were going to be here by twelve o'clock, but I guess they can't do what they say"

"I'm sorry, and… are you planning to stay here all night?" Emily asked

"The thing is that my mom mentioned staying in a hotel if they ended up too late, and I thought she was joking but I'm afraid that they are now in a five star hotel while I am here, plus my brother is out of the town, he and Caleb went to buy some special supplies to repair a truck… or something like that"

"Sucks" Emily said

"Extremely"

"I guess you'll have to sleep here on the porch" Emily said jokingly as she let out a laugh

"I guess" Paige said, she pretended it to be a joke but she was tired and mad, and a bit cold so the tone in her voice sounded sad and upset.

Emily hadn't realized that she had been standing there under the rain before so now she was soaked from head to toe, she approached Paige a bit more and placed her hand on the girl's chin making her look up.

"Hey… it was just a joke" She said softly "You're not going to spend the night here alone, I am not going to allow that"

"Are you going to take me home with you?" Paige asked sarcastically again. Emily reminded silent for just a second and then she nodded.

"Yes"

"What?"

"I don't have another room… but you can totally use my couch, at least for tonight" Emily said

"Seriously?" Paige asked with a sincere smile, she forgot about her newly tension with Emily; the thought of being dry and sleep in a cozy place was really tempting

"Of course, if you don't like the couch you can always sleep in my bed…" Emily said then she realized how it sounded and blushed intensely "I mean… I can sleep in the couch, I don't mind"

"No" Paige said quickly "I have no problem sleeping on the couch"

"Okay" Emily said "The only bad thing here is that we are going to have to walk all the way to my apartment, since I don't have a car"

Paige looked up at the sky again, it didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon; she stood up and walked next to Emily

"We're already wet" She said raising her arms to prove her point "So I guess it's no problem to walk under the rain for a while"

* * *

When they arrived to Emily's apartment they were both cold and incredibly wet from all the rain; Emily hoped that it would stop a bit but it actually got worst.

They walked to the living room and Paige wrapped her arms around herself trying to get some warmth, she was incredibly cold and her lips were a deep purple color

"Come here" Emily said, she grabbed Paige's hand and led her to the room.

"Y-you have a n-nice room" Paige said with a week voice, the trembling on her body from the cold was giving her trouble to talk.

Emily ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel; then she went back to where Paige was and placed the towel around her shoulders, she placed her hand on the girl's forehead to check her temperature

"God… your freezing" Emily said

"You too" Paige commented, Emily's hand was as cold as an ice cube

"You need to get out of these clothes" Emily said, she opened her closet and checked the drawers trying to find something to let Paige; also she picked some clothes for herself since she was also really cold.

"Here" She said to Paige as she handed her a pair of grey sweatpants and a black sweatshirt "Actually I was thinking that maybe you should take a shower… a bit of hot water will do some good"

Paige took the clothes from Emily's hand and nodded in agreement; she felt a bit uncomfortable using Emily's shower, she couldn't help but imagine her naked as she showered every day to get ready to go to school… but Emily was right, a hot shower was going to help so she got rid of those thoughts and went to the bathroom.

She tried to be as quick as possible, and after her shower she felt incredibly better; she put on the dry clothes and blow dried her hair in Emily's room while Emily took a shower.

When she finished drying her hair, Paige walked to the living room, Emily had told her that she could turn the TV on so she sat on the couch feeling definitely better now that she was warm and dry and she started to change that channels.

A few minutes later she turned around a bit started when she heard a loud sound, then she saw Emily walking out of the room to grab something; she was only wearing a towel over her body… Paige's jaw almost fell to the floor when she saw the woman almost naked running around. Fortunately Emily went back to her room in no time so Paige returned her gaze to the TV.

Even though it was late, they found themselves eating some pasta and watching a movie; when Emily exited her room (dressed this time) she asked Paige if she was hungry, Paige told her that she hadn't had dinner yet so Emily decided to make some pasta for her and then she decided to join her, she wasn't so hungry but she could manage a plate of spaghetti.

"Okay" Paige said as she placed her empty plate on the table "That was way the worst movie I've ever seen in my life"

"I know… what a way to end it…" Emily said "Hey, you insisted on watching this"

"Yeah… but it's terrible" Paige said "I have to admit that I love shark movies" She said

When they were trying to decide what movie to see they came across a shark movie that was in one of the channels, and Paige insisted that she wanted to see it so Emily agreed.

"They're so fake" Emily said laughing

"But so cool… the more fake the shark is, and the more exaggerated the special effects of the movie are the more I like them" Paige said

"Well, that's weird" Emily said "I think I prefer action movies better"

"Are you kidding me? What happened to all those romantic comedy movies you saw in the past?"

"I only watched them because of your sister actually" Emily commented "But seriously I definitely prefer to see some action and to see someone kicking some butts!"

"Wow… I wasn't expecting that from you" Paige said laughing

"Why?"

"I don't know, you just don't seem like that type of girl… woman" Paige said a bit nervous

"What type do you think I am?" Emily asked smiling

"I don't know… the romantic comedy type I guess" Paige said "Or maybe the innocent type"

"I guess I am not that innocent" Emily whispered with a devilish smile, it was meant to be a joke but Paige thought that it was so sexy…

"It's nice to find out that you like action movies… I know who I can invite when my brother and I make a fast and furious marathon or a Bruce Lee movies marathon"

"Do you do Indiana Jones movies marathon?" Emily asked

"Once a year… yes" Paige said

"Then count me in"

Emily stood up and picked up the plates; Paige helped her to clean the table and then Emily went back to open a small cupboard that was on the living room where she kept a few wine and whiskey bottles. She took a red wine and a glass and poured some into it.

"Aren't you going to share?" Paige asked smiling

"You shouldn't drink" Emily said

"You have class tomorrow… you shouldn't drink too" Paige commented

"I like to drink a glass of wine some nights" Emily said "It helps me sleep better"

"Me too" Paige said jokingly

"Fine" Emily said "Actually I don't like to drink alone"

"Same here" Paige said

Emily handed her a small glass and they drank in silence; Emily turned on her mp3 system and allowed the music to fill the place and then she started to move with the rhythm.

Paige observed her as she moved with grace; Emily served a few glasses of wine more and then she said that they should dance for a while.

"Come on" Emily said as she tugged on Paige's shirt trying to pull her to the middle of the living room

"I… am not a good dancer…" Paige said a bit embarrassed "I'd rather watch"

"And I'd rather to have some company to dance" Emily said "It's not so complicated, you just have to move your body to the rhythm of the music"

"I don't know…" Paige said as she blushed a bit

"At least let me teach you a bit" Emily said

Paige felt a bit out of place dancing, she didn't like to dance mostly because she didn't know, and also she felt a bit weird having Emily so close to her, but she nodded finally in agreement.

Emily smiled proudly and started to move her body trying to exaggerate the movements to show Paige how to do it. Paige tried to focus on learning and not on watching Emily's hips as the girls moved them in a provocative way.

"The secret is on your hips" Emily said "You have to find the perfect rhythm and then move the rest of your body"

She placed her hands in Paige's shoulders trying to help her and encouraged the girl to move a bit; Paige did so but she tripped with Emily's foot and lost the rhythm in less than two seconds.

"Sorry" She said. Emily smiled sweetly and shook her head as she laughed

"It's okay" Emily said. She approached Paige a bit more; their bodies were suddenly really close… "Let me help you" She whispered as she placed her hands on Paige's hips softly.

Paige gulped audibly and blushed profusely as she felt Emily's hands on her body; Emily misunderstood the sudden tension on the girl's body.

"You need to relax, I know it's not easy at first but you are definitely doing it better" She said as she helped Paige move.

Paige looked down at her feet trying not to trip again; actually she was having a really hard time concentrated since Emily was so close to her with her hands on her hips as she moved her body in a really sexy way.

"That's it" Emily said proudly as she released her hold on Paige's body "You got it"

"Really?" Paige said as she kept on moving a bit embarrassed

"Yeah, now you only have to get to the most important part" Emily commented

"Which is?"

Emily leaned closer to Paige; she wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and moved to whisper something into her ear.

"Enjoy" She said in a soft voice that sent goosebumps all over Paige's neck. Emily hadn't been so bold in her life; she was dancing with Paige, with her arms on her neck as she moved her hips closer to Paige's body… clearly not the best position to dance with a student…

But she was enjoying the moment; she was enjoying it too much, and suddenly Paige's body felt amazing against hers, she could feel the girl's breathing on her neck and how the tension in Paige's body was starting to disappear.

Paige had her gaze on the floor, she was trying to focus all her attention in not trip again that in the sensation of Emily's perfect body so close to her; she could feel Emily's pelvic bone against hers and she could see a bit of her cleavage so perfectly, and she knew that she shouldn't be thinking about it.

They reminded silent for a moment as they danced; Emily finally rested her head in Paige's shoulder and smiled when she heard the girl swallowing hard. Paige felt really nervous all of a sudden and she tripped with her feet again.

"Uh… sorry" She said with embarrassment and nervousness

Emily leaned back and looked at her; their faces were incredibly close, and she could see perfectly Paige's big brown eyes… her nose… her perfect lips. Paige licked her lips slowly and stared at Emily with confusion

"It's okay" Emily said with a soft voice as she reached a hand to place one of Paige's locks of hair behind her ear.

Emily looked at her lovingly, she couldn't believe how beautiful Paige was and how attractive she had become after all these years and she suddenly felt a fire in her stomach it was like she just felt butterflies by looking at the girl.

Their faces were really close once again, so close that they were breathing the same air, and Paige was blushed in a way that made her look so cute and adorable. Emily swallowed a lump in her throat and placed both hands on the side of Paige's face.

'Fuck it' she thought for a moment as she took a quick decision; she was tired of holding back and maybe a bit dizzy from the alcohol so she just placed a hand on the back of Paige's neck and pulled her closer until their lips touched.

It was a quick soft kiss; their lips brushed lightly at first and they pulled apart in shock; Paige's eyes were widened in surprise and Emily had her eyes closed as she remembered the softness of Paige's lips; she couldn't believe how soft they were and how sweet the girl tasted.

Paige was about to say something when Emily leaned closer again kissing the girl, this time more passionate. Paige felt a bit weird at first but it was just because all the emotions and all the things she was feeling; she closed her eyes after a moment and kissed Emily with all she had.

Emily wrapped her arms tightly around Paige's neck as she moved her lips faster and desperately trying to explore every inch of the woman's mouth, Emily felt so good…

They moved their lips with passion and a bit fast as if they couldn't get enough of each other; suddenly Emily opened her mouth and Paige's tongue brushed hers lightly. Paige let out a small moan against Emily's lips; Emily thought that it was the cutest thing she ever heard.

And then they started to move, they were lost in all the passion of the kiss, they never pulled apart; Emily didn't want to release Paige's lips and Paige wasn't making any effort to pull apart. They walked slowly until Emily's back collided with the wall.

Paige placed her hands on Emily's waist caressing the soft skin that was under her shirt; she moaned again at the feeling of the bare skin against her hands. And then it was Emily the one moaning when she felt Paige's hand near her butt.

Their lips danced against each other, Emily was feeling the need for oxygen but she ignored it; Paige squeezed her butt softly through her pajama pants and Emily pressed her body hard against the girl…

She was kissing Paige… a single thought crossed her mind in a second and something inside of her clicked; she was kissing Paige, they were actually making out…

'What the hell am I doing?' Emily thought in horror, she broke the kiss with effort since she didn't really want to stop kissing Paige and then she looked at the girl

Paige had her eyes closed as she breathed hard, the girl's hands on Emily's waist and Emily's hands on her shoulders.

"No…" Emily said as she pulled completely apart from Paige

"Emily" Paige whispered

"Fuck!" Emily said rubbing her temples with anger

"Emily…" Paige said, she tried to approach Emily but Emily moved away from her, her heart ached when she saw the hurt look in Paige's head but she just couldn't deal with the terrible mistake she just made

"No Paige" Emily said "This can't happen"

"But…"

"It was a mistake" Emily said. Paige's lip quivered a bit; she was overwhelmed with emotions and now she felt guilty and confused but mostly hurt by Emily's words

"Emily, no… listen, we can…"

"It was a mistake" Emily repeated "There are some blankets in that closet" She said signaling to one of the drawers on the living room "I… good night"

She walked all the way to her room and slammed the door shut leaving Paige alone. Paige sat on the couch and rubbed her forehead as she felt tears coming to her eyes; she didn't understand anything; a moment ago they were kissing, and she was experimenting the best feeling in the world, and now… she was sitting alone feeling like shit.

She stood up and grabbed the blankets even though she didn't know if she was going to be able to sleep after what just happened.

Then she lied on the couch looking at the ceiling with a lump in her stomach and a sudden pain in her heart; a tear rolled down her shirt and fell on the pillow, and after a couple of seconds she found herself sobbing quietly as she tried to forget.

She heard a sob coming from Emily's bedroom and figured out that the girl was probably crying too… they had made a huge mistake…

'What the hell did we do?' Paige thought as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Forgetting the mistake

 _Soft hands travelled along the soft flesh of Emily's stomach getting goosebumps in her body; Paige's hands felt incredibly good and soft against her skin and all she wanted was to have those hands on her body all day. And the girl's kisses were so sweet and so intoxicating, she devoured her mouth with such passion that Emily felt her knees weaken under the intensity of the moment._

 _Paige kissed the line of Emily's jaw softly and travelled down her neck leaving open mouthed kisses all over her throat and the spot behind her ear._

 _They were lying on the bed… or it was on the couch? The thing was that they were lying, and Emily could feel Paige's body pressed against hers in a delicious way that allowed her to feel the girl's breasts and center against her. Paige just felt so good…_

 _She didn't remember how they got there, or actually how they started with the entire intense make out session and all the touches and kisses but it felt amazing and Emily felt as if she never want to let Paige go._

 _She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and pulled her closer again to reconnect their lips in a passionate and slow kiss that left her breathless. Paige moaned into her mouth and let one hand slid towards the direction of her pants._

 _They pulled apart for a second, Emily looked at Paige with lustful eyes and Paige smiled devilishly as she moved her hands inside the pajama pants carefully touching the woman's center making Emily moan in pleasure…_

Emily opened her eyes, startled and confused; she looked around the room as she rubbed the back of her neck and finally realized that the sound that just woke her up was the alarm that was beeping nonstop next to her.

She reached her hand to grab her phone that was on the small bedside table and turned the alarm off; then she lied on the bed again with a groan of frustration.

She was tired, and not just physically, she felt emotionally tired and drowned, it was as if someone just hit her with a truck and left her on the road. And her previous dream didn't help with the situation.

Emily rubbed her temples with force and sighed deeply, she had screwed up absolutely everything; she couldn't believe that she actually dared to kiss Paige, it was wrong for so many reasons that she couldn't even start to explain it.

She had let her emotions overcome her and led her to do something that could damage her even more. And then when she remembered Paige's hurt face after the kiss, she also noticed that she just fucked everything up, she hurt her friend and also she probably made her confuse…

'Great job Em' Emily thought as she stood up from the bed.

Once she was standing she took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulder a couple of times to try to free some tension there; she felt like shit. She had spent most of the night crying and thinking too much and she felt really bad now.

And when she walked to the bathroom and saw her reflection on the mirror she realized that she looked like shit too. She had her eyes extremely red and tired; also she had dark orbs under her puffy eyes that made her seem older and even more tired.

She washed her face several times, trying to clear her mind and maybe not seem so sad and tired.

When she walked into the living room she had a terrible sensation of fear; she had been thinking about this all night; how in the hell was she going to look at Paige in the face? She walked slowly as she swallowed the lump in her throat and then approached to the couch where Paige slept during the night.

It was empty…

She didn't really know how she should feel when she realized that Paige was gone, in one hand she was relieved, mostly because she didn't know what to say, or what to do, and she really wanted to avoid all the embarrassing moments, but in the other hand she found herself being incredibly upset. She sat on the couch carefully and ran her hands through it for a moment, it was cold so maybe Paige went a while ago; the blankets Paige borrowed last night were perfectly folded and resting there on the couch.

Emily grabbed them and buried her nose into the garment closing her eyes and breathing deeply… Paige's smell was there… so sweet.

It was incredible how quick things could change; last night she was having a really great time and a moment later she was feeling the horrible person in the world. She didn't understand anything that was happening right now, and the worst thing was that she didn't know how to fix the situation.

Kissing Paige might be a mistake, and a really huge one, but for some reason it felt so good… and so right, for a moment Emily felt complete again, as if she was meant to be there, she felt so amazing while their lips were joined that she forgot about everything.

But then she opened her eyes, and she realized what she was doing. It had been a year since she las had 'intimate' contact with someone, or at least proper contact; she couldn't even remember the last time someone kissed her like this, or touched her the way Paige touched her last night. She hadn't feel so connected to anyone in a long time; maybe that was the reason why she let her emotions get in the way and ruin everything…

Emily ran her hands through her hair and felt as if someone just hit her right in her chest; because the sharp pain that crossed right over her heart was almost unbearable.

She cried out in pain and placed her hands on her chest making some pressure, she was more than scared now; she never felt the pain so intense. The way to the bathroom where she kept her pills seemed to be long and slow but she finally arrived there and opened the bottle of pills and swallowed one of them.

"Fuck" She mumbled as she sat on the cold floor waiting for the pain to go away; hot tears fell from her eyes and she pressed her knees against her chest as she sobbed quietly.

* * *

It was a little bit past ten when Emily finally arrived to school; she was glad that her first class started in ten minutes because she really didn't want to be late.

The thing was that after her massive anxiety attack she made a quick detour to the hospital. She hated hospitals and tried to go not go there if she could avoid it but she ended up pretty concerned about that attack so she decided to go and let the doctors check her to see if everything was normal.

Part from the fact that she had to wait for what it seemed like ages in a small room crowded with sick people, she got checked pretty fast and allowed to exit the hospital immediately. The doctor said that she just had that strong anxiety attack because of stress; apparently stress could increase the strength of the attacks, so he gave her a few more pills and the advice to rest as much as she could.

Emily walked into the teacher's room and sat on the couch, she was tired and kind of upset so she wanted to clear her mind a bit before her class. Her mind today wasn't working properly, and knowing that after lunch she had class with senior year was literally killing her; the mere thought of seeing Paige again made her heart beat faster and her hands sweat.

"Look who's here" A cheery voice came from the door.

Emily raised her head and found Spencer standing there, smiling brightly. She walked to the couch and sat next to Emily.

"Hi Spencer" Emily said simply. Spencer eyed her for a moment and analyzed the tone of her voice.

"You seem tired" She commented as she observed Emily's face.

Emily sighed deeply and nodded as she rubbed her forehead; Spencer looked at her expectantly for a second.

"Ugh… rough night" Emily said simply

"Oh… anything interesting to tell?" Spencer asked a bit concerned.

"No… just… I couldn't sleep well" Emily said

"I know how that feels" Spencer commented "I hate sleepless nights, but…" She eyed Emily a bit closer "You seem really tired, are you sick or something?"

Emily sighed deeply as she tried to find an answer, she had put a lot of make up to try to hide all the signs of tiredness and sadness; obviously it didn't work.

"Yeah" she answered finally "I… have migraine… and last night I… the head ache was killing me" Emily said

"Oh, sorry" Spencer said

"It's okay"

Spencer looked at her and smiled softly, Emily looked to the floor for a moment trying to cover her sadness and all the emotions she was feeling that day.

"How about you?" Emily asked finally, Spencer smiled softly and leaned back on the couch

"I am fine" She said letting a laugh out. Emily looked at her with a funny look and smiled at her

"Fine…" She said smiling devilishly

"Yeah, more than fine actually" Spencer said biting her lip

"Okay…" Emily said looking at her expectantly.

"I have a date" Spencer said finally as she smiled brightly. Emily looked at her with surprise.

"Oh my God, I am so glad, so you finally did it" She said

"Yeah… finally" Spencer whispered

"How did this happen? I mean… you were a bit scared about the date thing" Emily said

"And I am, I am really scared of having a date, but I kind of want to do it you know? I think I really like this guy, and I want to give this a try" Spencer said

"Well, I am really happy for you" Emily said

"Thanks; actually…" Spencer said rubbing the back of her neck "I was going to ask you for help"

"Help?"

"Yes, I kind of don't know what to wear" Spencer confessed a bit embarrassed "You know, part from my usual boring clothes I use to come to school and my sweatpants…"

"So basically you want me to help you dress up for the date" Emily said. Spencer nodded lightly

"Yeah" She mumbled embarrassed

"Okay" Emily said smiling

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay" Emily repeated. Spencer stood up quickly and moved to hug Emily tightly as she kissed her on the cheek. The bell rang in that same moment and she pulled apart quickly still smiling brightly.

"Thanks" She said as she picked up her bag and started to walk to the door "Really thanks, I'll call you to tell you the day and the hour so we can meet earlier to get ready and that stuff"

"Fine" Emily said

"Thanks" Spencer repeated as she walked through the door.

Emily reminded silent after a moment with a small smile on her face as she thought about Spencer and her unexpected date, she was happy for her, and really proud that her friend finally decided to take this step.

And suddenly she felt a pang of sadness on her body; she felt as if someone just punched her on the face; she thought about the last time she had a date; it was a really long time ago… and then memories came back to her mind; some memories about last night, about that kiss… about Paige, about how complicated everything was right now and the smile disappeared from her face.

She gathered all her things and stood up quickly to go to class. It was going to be a really long day; maybe the best idea would've been to call and say that she was sick…

* * *

Paige opened her eyes slowly and looked around her room for a moment as she tried to adjust her gaze to the bright light that was entering through the window; she rolled on her stomach disentangling the sheets from her legs and yawned as she rubbed her eyes.

Then she became aware of the slight head ache she had and sighed deeply as she remembered all the crying from last night and what was the reason why she felt like shit and probably looked like shit.

She ran her fingertips slowly along her bottom lip and felt a pang of sadness and a really confusing feeling. She had been struggling most of the night trying to understand what had happened; why did they kiss? Or maybe… why did Emily kissed her?

It was Emily the one who started the kiss… she was there dancing with her, and then she kissed her; Paige couldn't have been dreaming about that, but the truth was that she loved it; every second of that kiss was perfect.

Emily's lips were soft and her body felt so amazing pressed against hers; that moment while they were kissing Paige just felt like she was in the right place; as if everything was so right; and then it turned in a nightmare.

The moment she saw Emily pulling away and saying that it was a mistake… those words actually hurt her like a punch in the face, she had never been in a situation like that but it hurt a lot, and now she just felt so emotionally drowned; all she wanted to do was sleep all day and disappear.

She couldn't sleep on that couch last night; she was wearing Emily's clothes, and they smelled like her, the couch smelled like her… the whole apartment smelled like Emily; and also she couldn't stop thinking and crying so around five in the morning she decided that she didn't want to be there anymore; she grabbed her stuff; folded the sheets and walked outside without a word.

She walked home trying to not thinking too much and trying to relax and forget what happened; and then when she arrived to her room she jumped to her bed and fell asleep.

Now she didn't know what she was supposed to do, she obviously couldn't see Emily as more than a teacher and they weren't going to be the same with each other anymore; but she didn't want to forget…

Paige sighed in frustration and rubbed her forehead as she tried to think what she should do. She didn't have many options actually, but she could try, maybe this thing she was feeling could disappear in a few days.

She heard some steps approaching her room, and the sound dragged her out of her thoughts; she didn't know that there was someone home. Someone opened the door slowly and then she saw her dad's figure standing there with a confused look

"Morning" He said smiling. Paige looked at him

"Hey" She said with a sleepy voice

Nick eyed her for a second and then walked into the room and approached the bed; he sat near Paige and looked around.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was sick?" Paige said trying to pretend a bit so her dad could believe her. He let out a laugh and shook his head

"Tiredness isn't a disease honey; try with a new excuse" He said

"I just didn't hear the alarm" Paige said "But I was not feeling so well this morning though… and aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"

"Well, I was, but I asked one of my fellows to cover my shift today" Nick said

Paige leaned back on the bed and rested her head on the pillow; she was actually relieved that it was her dad the one staying home today; if her mom was the one there probably things would be different.

"Why?" Paige asked

"I see that you already forgot" Nick said

"Forgot what?" Paige asked confused

"You do realize that your mom is going to find out that you didn't go to school right?" Nick asked changing the subject abruptly

"Yeah, I know… are you going to tell her?" Paige asked

"No, I am not, but you know she is going to talk to the teachers"

"She's so strict with me… I hate that" Paige said

"She wants you to be the best" Nick said

"She wants to ruin my life" Paige growled

"Okay… I'll tell her that you were really sick today" Nick commented

"She's not going to believe that"

"I'll tell her that you were nearly dying"

"Fine"

"But just so you know" Nick said "She loves you"

"Yeah, of course" Paige said sarcastically

"She does, in her own way… she always had a particular way to show love, but she does"

Paige sighed and Nick stroked her cheek gently; they reminded silent for a moment and then suddenly the bell rang. Paige looked at her dad with confusion and Nick just smiled excited. He stood up from the bed and walked to the door almost in a jump.

"Okay, get up! And dress up now" He said as he exited the room

"What? Why?" Paige asked. Unfortunately her dad was already gone, so she let out a growl and stood up.

She didn't understand what the hell was happening; but she went to her closet and picked up the first clothes she saw, a pair of jeans and a green tank top.

From downstairs, she could hear her dad talking to someone but she couldn't really understand what was happening; she finally exited the room and went to the front door to see what was happening and then she was greeted with a loud yell of happiness and a tight, really tight hug.

"Cassie" She mumbled as she hugged her sister back

"Hi, little booger!" Cassie said as she kissed Paige on the cheek several times and hugged her again "I've missed you so much" She said again "You're so tall!"

"I'm still the same height than when you left" Paige said

"It seems more to me"

Paige laughed and hugged Cassie back; she really had missed her sister so much, and now she couldn't describe how happy she was. Cassie pulled back from the hug and eyed her sister more slowly.

"Wow sis" She said "You look like crap…"

"Thanks" Paige said

"Isn't it good to have you to arguing around?" Nick said interrupting them

"I didn't miss that part" Paige mumbled

"Your sister has been sick" Nick said jokingly as he laughed

"Very funny" Paige said

"Ohhh I can take care of you now Paigey" Cassie said "Don't worry" She said kissing Paige's forehead

"I don't need it, but thanks" Paige said

"You shouldn't reject your big sister's offer" Cassie said

"How is that you came today?" Paige asked changing the subject

"Well, I wanted to surprise you all, plus I couldn't resist it, I needed to come back soon"

"I'm glad to have you here" Paige said sincerely

"Me too" Nick said. He opened his arms and pulled her two daughters for a tight hug.

* * *

They spent a lot of time talking, they started the conversation at the door and then they moved to the living room to be more comfortable, and then Nick made lunch and they ate in the kitchen as they talked about old memories and Cassie told them about her new life and her new job.

Late that afternoon Paige helped Cassie to settle in her old room; their parents never touched it so it was exactly as Cassie left it. They walked in the room and placed Cassie's things there and then she started to remember a lot of things that happened there. She told Paige about all the times she slept there with Cassie because she was afraid of the dark… Paige finally left her sister's room once she started to get nostalgic and started to talk about how much she loved Paige and how much she had missed her and then she started to hug her sister and kiss her cheeks so Paige decided to go to her room.

"You have no idea how much I missed this!" Cassie said to a mouthful of ice cream , he licked the right side of her hand that had a bit of 'chocolate & chips' ice cream and looked around the park.

"What? Ice creams? They don't have them in New York?" Paige asked sarcastically

"No silly, I missed being here, with you in the park, eating ice cream or whatever unhealthy food you're always up too" Cassie said

"Yeah, I missed it too, a lot" Paige recognized shyly. She wasn't used to express her love so much at least not like her sister, Cassie was always hugging and kissing and telling people how much she loved them, or how much she hated them… Paige was the shy type.

"So…" Cassie said smiling devilishly. Paige looked at her with confusion.

"So… what?" She asked

"How is your life going?" Cassie asked "Anything interesting to tell me? Or should I ask anyone interesting to tell me about?"

Paige looked down and blushed immediately, Cassie obviously always wanted to be informed about her siblings life; she wanted to know all their dates and friends and girlfriends, she always was asking about it.

"No one" Paige said simply "My life is the same boring stuff as always and I am single"

"Your life is boring because you chose to be boring" Cassie said "And what about that girl?"

"What girl?" Paige asked

"That girlfriend of yours, the one you had a year ago or so"

"You said it, it was a year ago" Paige said "I am not with her anymore"

"You never told me what happened"

"That's because I don't really want to talk about it; let's just say that she was a bitch with me" Paige said

"What was her name…" Cassie mumbled "Anna? Lana…?"

"Shana" Paige whispered

"Shana… do you know her surname?" Cassie asked seriously

"Why?"

"Because I am going to go find her and then I am going to kill her" Cassie said angrily

"That won't be necessary" Paige said "I'm fine, plus the last thing you need is to end up in jail for murder now that you're starting your own company"

"Right… but you know that I hate when people breaks your heart" Cassie said "Or Liam's"

"Yeah I know, I remember when you hit the hell out of Christine Bells when she broke up with Liam" Paige said laughing

"She's a fucking bitch" Cassie mumbled with anger as she clenched her fist

"Anyway, I am better now, really. Caleb and Liam helped me a lot"

"Caleb…" Cassie mumbled

"Are you ready to see him?" Paige said in a purr

"Of course" Cassie said

"Of course" Paige repeated

"I'm a grown up" Cassie commented "I am perfectly capable of being friends with my ex-boyfriend"

"You said the next time you'll see him you were going to cut out his penis…" Paige said

"Okay… I admit that I was not in my best moment… and the alcohol didn't help at all" Cassie said "But a lot of time has passed so now I am ready to start a nice friendship with him"

"I want to see that" Paige said

"He's not a bad person actually, and is a really good friend, is just that we are totally different people"

"Yeah, well… let's just hope that you can last two seconds without saying a mean comment to him"

"Okay, let's change the subject" Cassie said clearing her throat "Tell me about Emily"

Paige nearly spitted out her ice cream, she tensed her body and felt her cheeks blush intensely; some memories and images came to her mind and she suddenly remembered her confusion and pain. She swallowed hard and sighed.

"What about her?" She asked nervously.

"Well, are you two getting along again? I mean, after all these years it must be difficult for you to have her around" Cassie said

"Oh, yeah, but everything is okay" Paige said faking a smile

"I want to see her!" Cassie said "I missed her actually"

"Yeah well, you can go visit her or Pam" Paige said

"What a great idea" Cassie said happily "Is Pam still cooking as well as she did before?"

"Even better" Paige said smiling

"We have to go" Cassie said "In fact; we have to go right now!"

"What?" Paige asked. Cassie stood up with decision and looked at her sister

"We're going to visit your second mom" Cassie said

"She's not my mom"

"But you wish she was" Cassie said "Plus you almost live in her house little booger… why are we even arguing about this, let's go!" Cassie grabbed Paige's hand and walked with her out of the park.

* * *

Emily arrived home after a really long day and sighed deeply as she closed the door. She walked to her room and threw her bag on the floor and then she started to undress.

"What a shitty day" She mumbled as she grabbed some more comfortable clothes.

It had been a really horrible day for her; first of all because she had been having trouble to concentrate the whole time, she couldn't stop thinking about Paige and that was distracting her; and the truth was that most of the time she was just thinking about the girl, and not about the 'mistake'. Paige was so beautiful, and so sweet; she couldn't stop thinking about that kiss and the second reason why her day was terrible was because Paige wasn't there.

In one hand she had been relieved for it, mostly because she didn't know how she was going to face her after what happened; after what she did… and also because if she looked at her she was going to think about that kiss and that couldn't be good. But in the other hand she actually wanted to see her, mostly because she knew that she owed the girl an apology, and because she actually was realizing that her days were always better when she saw the girl…

Emily finished changing and after that decided that it was better to take a shower; she had told her mom that she was going to be over today for dinner and she had to be there by eight so after her shower she had time to rest a bit and then go.

She couldn't help but think about what had happened last night in that same living room when she walked in there, she remembered how great Paige's body felt against hers as they danced and how cute she was being so insecure and so shy.

She rubbed her forehead with force and walked to the bathroom feeling like shit, she felt really, really bad now… she felt something for Paige.

The thought crossed her mind before she could even realize it, and she felt the sudden need to cry; what the hell had happened to her? She couldn't feel something for a student, because Paige was her student; and she was ten years younger than her; nothing could happen between the, it was just wrong. But she felt really attracted to the girl… and she had to change that.

By the time when the water was hot and she entered the shower she was already crying; she never had luck with love, she always ended up really hurt and now she felt as if she was again starting with the wrong foot; she needed something, she needed to do something before her sudden attraction for Paige became stronger.

She sniffed loudly and wrapped her arms around herself as she stood under the hot water, right now she felt as if she needed to clean her body to clean what she did… for the moment the only thing she could do was cry.

* * *

It was around half past eight when she arrived to her mom's house; she had been preparing some papers and some exams for her classes and she lost the track of time so when she realized what time it was she literally ran out of her house to go visit her mom.

Pam said that she was going to make pizza; it was Emily's favorite food and her mom always did the best pizza ever, so she was really excited about it. Plus she hoped that being with Pam could help her forget for a while; maybe she could hang out with her friends more to forget Paige.

She stood in front of the door of her mom's house and reached into her jacket's pocket for the key; Pam gave her a key the other day so she could go there whenever she wanted.

The thing was that when she entered the house she heard laughter; obviously she recognized her mom but there were a few more people there. Emily frowned as she walked to the living room.

She widened her eyes in surprise when she saw the one and only Cassidy McCullers sitting there with her siblings and her mom.

Cassie raised her head and looked up; she made eye contact with Emily and smiled brightly as she stood up quickly.

"Oh my God!" She screamed as she hugged Emily tightly. Emily reacted a few seconds ago when she fully realized what was happening and returned the hug as she smiled. She couldn't believe it; it had been a long time since she saw Cassie.

"I heard that you came back Fields, but I couldn't believe it until I saw it myself" Cassie said

"It seems like we're both back" Emily said smiling.

Cassie laughed and hugged her again; Pam stood up from the couch and kissed her daughter and went to the kitchen to check on the pizza.

"Hi Emily" A deep voice came next to them. Liam stood up too, but instead a hug he just shook Emily's hand politely.

"Hi Liam…" Emily said "Wow, I can't believe how much you've changed" She said as she observed the boy. Liam blushed a bit and sat once again.

Then Emily obviously noticed Paige; the girl was there sitting on the couch drinking a glass of water as she fixed her gaze on the floor.

"Hi… Paige" Emily said with a low voice.

At first Paige didn't answer back, she didn't even looked up from the floor; Cassie and Liam turned to see her and then she raised her head and looked briefly at Emily as she blushed intensely.

"Hey" She said. Then she looked back to the floor trying not to make eye contact with Emily.

She had been doing a big effort to not think too much about Emily today; and now that she was having a good time and was starting to feel a bit comfortable Emily appeared… it was actually normal since it was Pam's house and Emily was her daughter, so she could go there any time she wanted; but Paige wasn't ready to face her yet.

Emily sat on the couch and for a moment there was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Liam was at the end of the couch looking at his phone; Cassie was staring at Emily in amusement while Emily looked discretely at Paige who was sat next to her sister on the other couch as she looked down.

There was a loud sound coming from the kitchen; everyone turned in that direction to see what had happened, it seemed as if something broke.

"I'll go check on Pam" Liam said as he stood up and walked to the kitchen. Cassie stood up and smiled brightly as she looked at Emily

"I think I drank too much juice before… I'll be back" She said as she went upstairs. By the time Paige raised her head she realized that she was alone in the living room with Emily.

Her first impulse was to stand up too and ran to the kitchen with some excuse; the last thing she wanted was to be alone with Emily but she didn't want to seem like she was scared so she sat with her body in tension and fidgeted nervously with her hands.

"It's so cool to see Cassie here" Emily said with a low voice as she tried to break the ice a bit; she knew that a simple sentence wasn't going to fix anything, but she wanted to try.

"Yeah" Paige said without looking at her. It was funny and really sad at the same time to see how all that awkward tension that they had before and that they left behind was now settled between them again.

Emily looked down embarrassed and upset; she had fucked things out with Paige and now the only thing she wanted to do was to ran to her and kiss her again… but that wasn't going to happen, not anymore.

"Paige…" Emily said; she wanted to say something, maybe an apology, or at least something to try to fix everything. Paige looked at her in the eyes for the first time since she got there. Emily swallowed hard and thought about what she was going to say, she didn't want to say something wrong to the girl.

"All right" Cassie said entering the living room again drying her hands on her jeans. "I'm back" She joked as she sat on the couch again next to her sister.

"Did I miss something?" She asked when she noticed the weird atmosphere between Emily and Paige.

"No" Paige said simply. Emily cleared her throat and shook her head.

"Well, so Emily, you have to tell me everything" Cassie said "How was your life in California?!"

Before Emily could stop talking Paige stood up; her sister continued with her gaze fixed on Emily as she waited but the woman couldn't help but direct her eyes to Paige when she saw her stand up.

Paige decided that she couldn't be there anymore, it had been really complicated to try not to think all day in what happened and now she had to be with Emily again, she wasn't going to go home, mostly because of Pam, she didn't want Pam to be upset so she was going to stay but she didn't have to be there with Emily.

So she walked to the kitchen to see if she could help instead of being sat in the living room with her hot, beautiful… and obviously forbidden teacher.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The 'talk'

 _13 years ago_

Paige was sat on her kitchen as she sipped the last part of her juice, next to her an empty plate where her sandwich was a while ago; her dad had made her a quick meal so she could eat something after school. Nick picked her up around half an hour ago and took her home before heading to work.

Cassie was in her room 'studying' and her brother was on the living room watching TV, so Paige was alone in the kitchen as she ate quietly.

The thing was that today, as practically every afternoon, Emily had to come to have her study date with Cassie, they made homework together and studied; something really normal but today it was a bit different.

Emily wasn't alone… Paige could see her standing outside her house with someone. It was no secret for Paige that Emily had a boyfriend; Paige actually didn't really understand what the word boyfriend meant, her dad told her once that a boyfriend was like a really 'special' friend that you love more than the rest of your other friends; and in the other hand when she saw Cassie kissing her boyfriend Noel on the lips she explained that a boyfriend was a person that was special and you can do things with him that you don't do with other people…

Paige never understood that explanation, but there she was, sitting in her kitchen watching as Emily talked with that boy that seemed to be her boyfriend; her name was Ben, or something like that, he never came to meet Paige or Liam, but Paige wanted to meet him, because she wanted to know why he was more special to Emily than her.

And then she widened her eyes in surprise when she saw Emily kissing that boy on the lips; Paige had seen her sister do that with Noel several times, she even saw them without their shirts…

The boy kissed Emily one more time and then said something to her; Paige observed the interaction between them, he approached Emily and seemed to touch her butt or something like that and then he walked away leaving Emily alone.

Emily smiled softly and shook her head before walking to the front door. Paige sipped her juice and placed the glass on the table as she thought on what she just saw. According to her mom, she shouldn't think too much about things, mostly because she couldn't understand everything and she ended up more confused.

The front door opened; Emily had a copy of the key so she could enter the house without problems. Paige heard her walking to the living room and greeting Liam and then she walked to the kitchen where Paige was.

"Hi Paige" Emily said happily.

"Hi" Paige said. Emily approached her and kissed the top of her head lovingly

"How are you?" Emily asked "I haven't seen you in a few days"

"Fine" Paige answered. Emily sat in a chair next to her and eyed Paige cautiously, the girl was looking at her with a curious look and had a raised eyebrow, which in 'Paige's language' meant that she was analyzing something.

"Fine" Emily repeated "Sure?"

"Yes" Paige answered smiling "I made a picture today" She commented "Do you want to see it?"

Emily nodded; Paige jumped out of her chair and walked to the living room where her bag was. She returned after a few seconds running as she waved a piece of paper and then she handed it to Emily.

She sat back on her chair as Emily eyed the picture; obviously the picture was the typical picture a five year old kid would do, it was hard to understand what it was but Paige was so proud of it that Emily just tried to pretend as if it was the best picture in the world.

"You like it?" Paige asked happily as she looked at the paper. Emily placed it on the table and smiled

"Of course" She said "I like it a lot"

"Is a picture of us" Paige said, she signaled to the top of the paper where it was written the sentence: my family in big letters and a bright red color. Emily nodded in understanding

"So this is your family?" Emily asked

"Yeah" Paige said. "These are mom and daddy" She said pointing to the first two figures "And this is Liam, and Cassie" She pointed to other two figures, and then she signaled the last two figures, the last two were closer than the others and painted in a different color "And this is me, and you" Paige said

"Me?" Emily asked

"Yes" Paige said "I painted you with blue because is your favorite color"

"Aww Paige" Emily said, she moved closer to the girl and hugged her tightly "How can you be so cute?"

"The teacher said we could draw the most important people for us" Paige said

"It's really beautiful" Emily said kissing Paige's cheek.

"Do you want me to put your boyfriend in it?" Paige asked

"What? Why?" Emily asked "Is he important to you?" She said jokingly

"No" Paige said simply and with a sharp tone "But he is important for you"

"It's your drawing honey; you can put whoever you want"

"Why is he your boyfriend?" Paige asked all of a sudden

"What?"

"Is he your most important friend?" Paige asked remembering her dad's definition to boyfriend. Emily eyed her curiously and then thought about her answer

"Well… is a way to say it" She said, actually the question had caught her a bit by surprise; she didn't know if 'special' was a word to describe Ben, he was nice, and a really funny guy but she didn't really fell as if he was special.

"So I am not your most important friend?" Paige asked sadly as she looked down. Emily eyed her and smiled softly

"Oh Paige, of course you're special" Emily said caressing the girl's cheek softly "And you're a really important friend to me"

"So am I your boyfriend?" Paige asked curiously. Emily laughed and shook her head

"No, actually when is a girl its said girlfriend" Emily explained

"So am I your girlfriend?" Paige asked again

"No little booger" Emily said copying Cassie's tone when she called Paige "You're not my girlfriend"

"Why?" Paige asked

"You know… boyfriends and girlfriends are not the same as friends, and as much as you love your friends you can talk and do things with your partner that you can't with your friends; also you're too little for me" Emily said jokingly "Maybe when you grow up" She joked

"So we are friends" Paige said smiling

"Of course" Emily said she didn't really know where all this conversation came from but she felt as if Paige needed to hear it, maybe she felt a bit replaced since she had a boyfriend so she smiled and kissed Paige's forehead softly. "We're best friends"

* * *

 _Present day_

The cold air of the morning hit her face as she ran as fast as she could along the street; it was still dark, and the only sound she could hear was the loud music on her earbuds and her hard breathing as she incremented her speed.

She had a lot of energy to release, and a lot of stress to let out so the best option Paige found was to run; she used to do it every year to improve her speed and keep fit for the pool, but this year she hadn't started yet, all the summer she had been resting but now she needed it.

So when she woke up at five in the morning tired of roll in the bed nonstop and thinking about all what was happening in her life she decided that she needed to free some tension and the best way to do it was to run.

She put on her running attire, a pair of shorts, and a sweatshirt she used to wear since it was cold at that time of the morning; then she put some music and started to run as she let her brain rest a bit.

It was the second sleepless night; two days had passed since she kissed Emily and she felt really bad, first of all, all the confusion was killing her, it was weird just to think about it; she didn't understand what was happening to her, or what was happening in general; and second, every time she thought about that kiss she felt a weird feeling in her stomach, it was as if she had butterflies flying around her abdomen and chest and she didn't know how to avoid that. It was the first time in her life that she felt that and it confused her even more.

Her legs hurt and she could feel her feet heavy as she slowed her pace and tried to gain her breath; she must been running for more than an hour now, and she was starting to feel the tiredness but at the same time she didn't want to stop. She actually wanted to ran all the way out of the town and disappear; maybe things would be easier if she just went.

Paige didn't understand why this was happening to her; she didn't understand why she was feeling this for Emily… It was so weird and so strange that she didn't even know how to describe it; she never felt something like this when she met Emily years ago… their relationship was good, but the love she felt for Emily was more like the sisterly type; now it was completely different.

She had grown up, and to be honest Emily had grown up too in a really good way; if she was beautiful in the past, now she was breathtaking and Paige was starting to notice that; maybe she already knew it, it was just that now she was really paying attention to it.

Finally after a few more minutes of running Paige stopped; she arrived to the end of the street and reduced her speed until she was just walking at a normal pace.

Her breathing was loud and labored since she had forced her body in the last minutes; but she didn't care right now. Everything was so confusing in her life, and she needed to clear her mind to be able to find a solution.

Running had been a big help that day; Paige turned around and started to walk back to her house, now that she had released a lot of tension and pressure she felt more calmed and relaxed.

She needed to do something about the whole 'Emily' situation, because she couldn't just leave things like this; maybe she needed to leave all her fears and talk to Emily, try to clear things or just go for the easier option, which was ignore her for the rest of the year.

Ignorance was a good method, but she didn't think that that was going to work actually; first of all because it wasn't working right now, she had been trying to ignore this for the past two days and it had been really complicated, so maybe she needed to talk. Now she just needed to grow up some courage to be able to face Emily and talk about what happened.

She arrived home a few minutes later, her mom's car was gone and her dad had been all night working so he must be about to arrive home. Paige took off her shoes when she entered the house and breathed out relieved, now she was going to take a nice warm shower and go to school.

The place was silent and a bit dark, she walked to the stairs and she almost died from a heart attack when the lights turned on suddenly and she heard someone behind her.

"Morning sunshine!" Cassie's pitchy voice sounded behind her. Paige turned around startled and faced her sister.

"Hi… Cassie" Paige said as she moved to pick up her shoes, she had released them when her sister scared her.

"What were you doing?" Cassie asked curiously eyeing her sister. Paige sighed deeply and looked down at her clothes trying to point out the obvious

"I was running" She said. Cassie yawned and looked at her for a second. Paige observed her sister carefully; Cassie was holding a cup of coffee between her hands and it was obvious that she had just woken up, she was dressed in her pajamas and a black robe, and her hair was disheveled and her face now without make up was pretty funny.

"Running?" Cassie asked, she looked at her watch and then looked at Paige "At seven in the morning?"

"It was six when I left"

"You're crazy" Cassie said "Totally crazy"

"It's not my fault that you're not a morning person" Paige said

"No, I am not a morning person, I just like to wake up at normal hours" Cassie said

"This is part of my training routine" Paige commented

"Really?" Cassie asked

"Yeah"

"Honey, I remembered that your morning routine was to go out for a run at seven o'clock, and then run for half an hour and go to school at eight" Cassie said "Have you changed your clock?"

"No…" Paige said "I just couldn't sleep"

Cassie sipped her coffee and then looked at her sister in concern; she approached Paige and eyed her closer.

"Why?" She asked "Are you okay? Is everything okay?"

"Yes Cassie I am fine" Paige said trying to pull apart "I just couldn't sleep last night"

"Okay" Cassie said "But you'd tell me right?" She asked after a moment of silence

"Tell you what?"

"If you were feeling bad… or if you had a problem you'd tell me?" Cassie asked. Paige looked down and sighed; now was one of those moments when she wished that she could be a bit more brave, she didn't had the courage to tell this to her sister, she didn't know if Cassie was the most indicated person to know about her and Emily… plus she felt as if she should talk to Emily first.

"Of course" She said finally. Cassie smiled relieved and hugged her tightly

"Good, because you know I hate to see you sad" She whispered

"I know" Paige said "And you know you're always the first one to know about my problems"

Cassie pulled apart from the hug and looked at Paige for a second, Paige noticed her sister look and shrugged her shoulders.

"What?" She asked

"You know little booger, as much as I love you… I think you should go and shower" Cassie said simply

"That's where I was going when you assaulted me with your questions" Paige said

"Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone"

* * *

It was nearly a quarter to eight when Paige finally exited her house; she was now more relaxed and a bit more confident than earlier that morning. She felt somehow as if she had a plan, it was not the best plan ever but at least now she knew what to do. She was going to talk to Emily, even if it was hard and embarrassing and she felt scared as hell, she was going to talk to her no matter what. Things couldn't stay like this forever.

Paige rode her bike a few streets and then stopped in front of a familiar place; first of all she looked at the buildings next to it. Emily lived there… The first thing she thought when she arrived to Emily's apartment the other night was that it was funny that she lived next to the Brew.

She finally entered the Brew; she wasn't in the mood to prepare her own breakfast so she thought it would be better to buy it. And actually she wasn't hungry so she actually was just going to buy a coffee.

The place was almost empty; it was really early so the barman was actually opening the café, he was cleaning one of the windows as one of the baristas cleaned the floor. Paige walked to the bar and stood there in silence waiting for someone to notice her there.

She looked around for a moment, there was a man sitting next to the window, as he drank a coffee and ate a big chocolate muffin, and then there was a woman drinking coffee and reading a newspaper in one of the tables.

Finally the barman noticed her and Paige waited for him to prepare the coffee; a few seconds passed after she made her order and she heard the door opening, and it was as if everything occurred in slow motion.

She turned around juts following her curiosity and then she felt as if she suddenly hadn't air in her lungs. Emily was so beautiful that morning… she was beautiful every morning actually, but now that Paige saw her entering the place she just felt as if she was going to pass out.

Emily was dressed in her usual suits, the ones she wore to class, with those short black skirts and the jacket, and a red shirt underneath; actually the shirt was a bit opened so Paige could see a little spot of cleavage…

Paige cleared her throat once she noticed that she was staring too much and directed her gaze to the coffee machine, Emily looked in her direction and they made eye contact for a brief second. Then Emily just sat in one of the tables.

The barman handed Paige the coffee and she took a small sip, she eyed Emily's table and sighed deeply. This might not be the perfect moment but it might be the only moment she would have to talk and fix things…

She took a few steps until she was next to Emily and cleared her throat a bit, Emily turned to face her and they both looked at each other in silence.

"Paige" Emily said with a small smile. Paige smiled nervously and fidgeted with the coffee in her hands.

"Hi" Paige said awkwardly. Emily looked at her and they reminded silent for a moment. The door opened and someone stepped inside the Brew, Emily looked to see who it was and Paige just fixed her gaze on the floor.

"How… have you been?" Emily asked finally when she realized that Paige wasn't going to react.

"Uh… fine" Paige said, she didn't know how to describe how weird she felt right now, there weren't enough words, but she was already there. "Fine" She repeated… why did she have so much trouble talking to Emily?

"That's good" Emily said

"Good yeah" Paige repeated smiling stupidly. She slapped herself mentally when she understood that this conversation wasn't going to lead them anywhere. She wanted to talk to Emily desperately but now she didn't know where to start.

"Paige?!" A voice sounded behind them. Paige turned around when she heard her name and spotted Sydney holding a cup of coffee and smiling brightly "What are you doing here?" Sydney asked approaching Paige, she didn't even pay attention to Emily.

"Uh… I wanted a coffee" Paige said simply waving her cup in front of Sydney

"Me too" Sydney said excited "What did you get?"

"Cappuccino…" Paige mumbled

"Same as me" Sydney asked "And you asked it with cinnamon on it" She commented

"Chocolate, I like it with a bit of chocolate" Paige said

"That's so cute" Sydney said smiling as she looked at Paige. Emily was there behind them listening to the conversation, she smiled softly when she noticed how shy Paige was to the obvious flirtation and then she felt a pang of sadness, mostly because she knew that she couldn't do that with her, it was wrong… but she wanted to be the one flirting with Paige… and not that girl.

"Are you headed to school?" Paige asked nervously.

"Yeah, I have math now so I came for a coffee because I am going to need it… gosh that teacher is so dense…"

Paige laughed a bit and turned awkwardly to see Emily; she was now drinking her coffee quietly pretending as if she was not listening.

"Oh is that Ms. Fields?" Sydney asked "Hi" She said happily smiling to Emily.

Emily waved a hand to her and then looked at Paige; Paige looked at her with a hint of sadness and then she sighed.

"Where you talking about something important?" Sydney asked seriously as she realized that she just interrupted a conversation

"Uh, no" Paige said

"No" Emily said at the same time

"I was just saying hi" Paige said finally looking down

"Oh" Sydney said. Paige turned around and they started to walk to the exit "So would you walk me to class?" She asked to Paige with a soft smile.

Paige sighed and turned around; Emily was looking at her, their eyes met for a second before Emily looked down.

"Yeah" Paige said finally. Sydney smiled proudly and linked her arm with Paige's unexpectedly.

Emily leaned back on her chair as she saw the two girls leaving; it was weird how things had changed now, a few days ago they were starting to be good friends again and now the atmosphere was strange between them.

She finished her coffee and walked outside the Brew, the way to the school was short, Emily walked in silence looking at her feet as she tried to prepare herself for the classes; she didn't know if she was ready to face Paige for an hour but she had to be professional, she was a professional teacher.

Maybe the best solution was to clear things; maybe she should quit avoiding Paige and just talk to her for real, without interruptions.

* * *

The first part of the morning passed without incidents, Emily felt as if for the first time in the past days she was able to concentrate, she was perfectly focused in all her classes and she felt incredibly good.

Maybe what she needed was just to clear her mind and take matters into her own hands; even if her mind wasn't cleared and she hadn't done anything yet about her problem but she knew what she had to do and she felt positive about it.

When she was sat in her class before lunch, with the first year, she leaned back on her chair as the class did an exam and she thought about what happened. It was obvious that it was a mistake, she knew it and Paige probably knew it too, she shouldn't have kissed the girl, mostly because now she probably hurt her and Emily couldn't just stand to know that she hurt Paige.

She let her emotions overcome her, and now she probably had screwed everything up so, she had to stop for a moment and try to think properly as an adult.

She felt attracted to Paige, she needed to admit that in order to get over it; she obviously felt attraction for the girl; she was beautiful, hot and was smart and funny, so it was kind of inevitable to be attracted to her, but that was it; it was just attraction, nothing more, so now that she accepted it; it should be easier to just go and talk to her and clear things.

The bell rang, she got up from her table and picked up all the exams; she had to hear some of the students complaining about the questions and about her but in the end she didn't care. So after that she walked outside the class and went straight to the cafeteria, in her way she stopped for a moment when she spotted Paige in her locker.

She was now wearing a pair of shorts and a hoodie, probably she had PE before, she was searching for something as Aria and Sydney talked to her.

Emily observed them and sighed, once again, that girl Sydney was kind of invading Paige's personal space; she was leaned back against the wall really close to Paige as she talked about something. Aria was next to them too but at a normal distance… Emily finally shook her head and walked past them, she shouldn't care about it. Paige was young and beautiful; she had every right to be with girls and to have girls behind her…

She entered the cafeteria and saw Spencer sitting with Ezra in one of the tables. As usual they were arguing about something. Emily joined them at the table and tried to catch up the conversation.

It seemed as if Ezra had some kind of problem with a girl a few days ago and Spencer was trying to give him advice, but making fun of him at the same time.

"Ezra, you're a grown up man" Spencer said "That behavior is not really appropriate"

"What behavior?" Ezra asked with a serious tone "As you said I am a grown up man, I am hot and still young, I'm single; I have every right to enjoy my life with all those pretty ladies"

"That's the problem sweetheart" Spencer said sharply "You're still young, but you're in your early thirties, a few more years and you won't be young anymore, you never think about a formal relationship? Or about marriage or kids? Or something like that…rather than to run after every woman in the town?"

"First of all I don't run behind every woman in the town" Ezra said, Emily smiled softly as Spencer rolled her eyes "And for your information, I already had a formal relationship, and now it's over so I want some time for myself"

"That's the point" Spencer said cutting him when he opened his mouth to talk again "Time for myself should mean that you are actually going to dedicate time for yourself, I mean what's the point on trying to dedicate time to yourself if you dedicate that time to girls?"

"It's my time Spencer" Ezra said "I like to spend it having fun"

"You don't know how to be alone, by alone I mean single, that' your problem" Spencer commented rolling her eyes.

"Whatever" Ezra said annoyed, he turned to face Emily and eyed her for a second "What's wrong Em?" He asked concerned "You haven't touched your food"

Spencer looked at her too and looked at the salad between Emily's hands. Emily actually had been pretty quiet since she sat there with them, she had been commenting on the conversation but only a few times.

"Yeah is everything okay?" Spencer asked. Emily smiled softly and sighed.

"Yes" She said "I'm fine, just a bit tired"

"Really?" Ezra asked

"Yeah, really, I have been staying up part of the night to prepare some exams and read some papers, so I just need to rest a bit" Emily said

"Oh, such a shame, I was going to ask you if you were up to hang out on Friday" Ezra said

"Yeah, what a great idea Ezra, the solution for you is to hang out probably in a bar so you can see if there are pretty girls" Spencer said

"No, my idea is to hang out to cheer Emily up, if there are pretty ladies… well, that's a win for me" He said smiling

"I don't know" Emily said "I'm not in the mood to hang out lately" ´

"Are you sure you're okay?" Spencer asked this time more concerned

"Yes, I just need to relax a bit and rest"

"Okay" Spencer said

* * *

Paige exited the locker room in a rush, she definitely spent too much time changing and now she was probably late, Aria had left a while ago since she had to pick up a book and Sydney, who had been following her all day, was in her math class.

She fixed her shirt a bit and readjusted her bag as she walked through the hallway; she liked PE, it was a nice class to have but she didn't like to have it in between classes, mostly because and got all sweaty and gross and then she had to shower in a rush.

When she arrived to her class she stood in front of the closed door and sighed deeply; she hated to be late, because she hated to have everyone looking at her. And also she knew that Emily was going to be there, so she felt a bit nervous.

After a few seconds of thinking about it she finally decided to enter and opened the door quickly and stepped inside the class.

Emily was standing next to the blackboard as she wrote something on it and explained something to the class, and everyone was quiet and paying attention, so when Paige entered the class everyone's gaze went to her.

She blushed intensely when she saw everyone looking at her and then swallowed hard when she saw Emily walking to her.

"Everything okay?" She asked. Paige looked at her; the question was made in a professional tone as if Emily was just asking that as a teacher. Emily's attitude was different now; she had a raised eyebrow and was cleaning her hands as she looked at Paige.

"Sorry, I lost track of time" Paige said a bit embarrassed. Emily looked at her in the eyes and suddenly smiled softly; Paige noticed it and blushed a bit.

She walked to her table and sat there in silence as Emily went back to the black board to continue the class.

The whole hour was a torture for Paige. She was nervous, beyond nervous; she was really scared about the fact that she had to talk to Emily. She had no idea what she was going to say or how she was supposed to say it, she never had a talk like this before, but she had to do it. But today Emily wasn't helping at all… the way her hair fall perfectly on the sides of her face and around her shoulders was so sexy… and the way Emily bite her lip when she was writing on the black board was so cute…

Paige had to slap herself mentally a few times, mostly because she was loosening her focus and she didn't need that, she had to calm and remind strong for the talk.

The last few minutes of class she found herself staring at the clock, she couldn't wait for the bell to rang, she was getting more and more nervous, even Aria noticed that she wasn't even paying attention to class and she elbowed her a few times to make Paige aware.

Finally after that nightmare that was waiting, the bell rang; everyone stood up in a rush as they picked up their things to go home. Paige stood up slowly and pretended that she was looking for something in her back as she waited for everyone to go.

She felt a massive lump in her throat and a weird sensation in her stomach, also her hands were shaking and she felt a bit weird but she had to do it.

Emily was still standing next to her desk as she picked up some papers from it, she haven't noticed Paige there so Paige approached her slowly and stood up when she was at a certain distance from her, not too far, but not too close…

"Paige" Emily said softly as she saw Paige standing there; honestly she though that Paige had gone now, she had been avoiding looking at her the whole class.

"Hey" Paige said nervously

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked fidgeting with her fingers.

"Yeah" Paige said; then she looked down "No" She said a second later, Emily frowned and looked at her "Can we talk?"

Emily sighed deeply and swallowed hard, she could ask the typical question 'about what?' trying to play fool, but Paige's face was serious and concerned, that indicated that Paige was there to talk seriously.

"Yeah" Emily said

"It's… you know… about the other night…" Paige said "About what happened the other night"

"I know" Emily said in a whisper. There was a silence after that. Emily didn't know what to say and she kept her mouth closed so she could think about the answer; and Paige after a moment kind of misunderstood the silence, so she took a step back ready to leave.

"Sorry… I…" She said as she started to walk

"Wait" Emily said stopping her "We haven't talked"

"I thought that…" Paige said

"Sorry" Emily said cutting her, she knew that she wasn't making this easy for Paige; the girl was there trying to talk and she was being a kid by being scared and avoiding Paige. "I'm really sorry Paige about what happened"

"I don't know what to say" Paige confessed smiling softly

"Me neither" Emily said "But I guess this is because we didn't talk before…"

"I'm sorry, for avoiding you" Paige said embarrassed

"You don't have to be sorry; I did exactly the same thing… Look Paige" Emily said finally decided to clear things "I know that we can't change what happened, and I am sorry because I know that I am responsible for it… I have been feeling really lonely for the past year and also alcohol didn't help at all"

"There are two in a kiss Emily" Paige said half-jokingly half seriously as she blushed intensely

"Yeah, but I somehow feel as I pushed you to do it" Emily said "I am really sorry for that, you are a really important person to me Paige, your friendship is one of the most important things in my life and I don't want to lose it"

"So… we are just going to forget this right?" Paige said a bit disappointed

"It's the best" Emily said, at this point neither girl was looking at each other in the eyes "It was a mistake that we both did at the moment but, it's in the past"

"A mistake" Paige mumbled

"We should try again, you know the fresh start thing" Emily said

"Oh… yeah… if that's what you want" Paige agreed

"It's not just what I want Paige… as I said you're really important to me, and I don't want to hurt you" Emily said

"Okay" Paige said

"That means we're okay?" Emily asked

"I guess… yeah" Paige said.

Emily nodded lightly and Paige stood there awkwardly and disappointed but trying to hide it; after a second she walked away.

As Paige exited the room she felt a couple of tears falling from her eyes and she wiped them quickly as she walked to the exit.

Emily in the other hand stood there in the class in complete silence and trying to process what happened; she didn't want a fresh start with Paige, actually what she really wanted was to kiss her, the whole time Paige was standing in front of her she just wanted to grab her, lie her on the table and kiss her… but instead she just decided to be cold and distant, and just try to forget everything, mostly because she was aware that this was wrong.

She slammed her hands hard against the desk and took a deep breath as she thought about what she was going to do… there must be some way to forget Paige… or at least get her out of her mind.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: It's not so easy

It's not so easy to forget someone; Emily knew it, she knew it too well; forgetting was easy to say, but really hard to do.

The first time she had to forget someone was a few years ago, when Maya left. That had been a really hard thing to do; first of all because she and Maya were together for a long time, they made plans and projects together, they even planned to marry and have kids, and one day she left. Forgetting her took Emily more than a year, and it could've been more if it wasn't for her friends, that helped her. Then… she had to forget other stuff that happened in her life after that and that she was still struggling to forget, but at least she had a new start.

But with Paige was different; so different… She actually couldn't believe that this was happening to her; it seemed as if someone was trying to see her suffer.

She couldn't stop thinking about Paige, the only thing she could think all day was Paige; she just didn't know how to stop it, she wanted so badly to kiss her again…

Emily rubbed her temples as she remembered the conversation she had with Paige that morning; it had been a disaster. Emily felt incredibly bad for being so cold with her; the moment she saw the girl standing there she knew that Paige was decided to talk, but Emily wasn't ready to open herself to anyone, plus, Paige was ten years younger than her and was her student, so it was completely impossible.

She knew that obviously that 'fresh start' thing was going to be really complicated, mostly because after that kiss they shared, things weren't going to be the same between them anymore.

And Emily regretted it a lot; not the kiss part though, it was the first time that someone kissed her like that in a really long time; actually she didn't remember anyone kissing her with the same passion and adoration as Paige; that kiss was just so perfect in every way, so sweet and hot at the same time, so caring and passionate… no, Emily couldn't regret that kiss, it was impossible to regret something like that; but she regretted doing it with Paige; obviously the reason why the kiss was so perfect was because it was with Paige.

But now she probably had lost one of the most important friendships in her life; she knew Paige ever since she was a kid, she had tons of memories with Paige; teaching her how to swim, teaching her to ride her bike; cooking together, watching movies together… she had all these memories and in some way, maybe the problem was that she still saw Paige as that little sweet child from thirteen years ago.

She never thought that she would end up feeling something like this for Paige; she never thought that after all these years she would end up feeling this powerful attraction to the girl. Everything now was just so confusing and weird for her; she never felt something like this, she didn't even know how to name what she was feeling.

Maybe that was the reason why she decided to pull Paige part, she had to figure what was happening to her first, she needed to clear her mind and be able to think properly, otherwise she knew she could hurt Paige; and she couldn't live with the idea of hurting her.

* * *

 _11 years ago_

Emily rode her bike along the street as fast as she could; her legs were even hurting from all the fast pedaling and her face and hands were cold.

She arrived to her destination finally, the McCullers house, and literally threw her bike as she ran to the door. She rang the bell a couple of times and checked her watch.

"Shit" She mumbled frustrated as she saw what time it was… it was really, really late.

The door opened quickly and a really worried Cassie appeared behind it; she looked at Emily and pulled her inside the house.

"Cassie" Emily said in an apologetic tone "Where is she?"

"She's gone" Cassie said sadly

"Where?"

"I don't know Emily, she just ran away an hour ago or so, I'm started to get really worried" Cassie said

"Fuck…"

"Were the hell where you?" Cassie asked disappointed "She's been waiting for you for about two hours"

"I know" Emily said rubbing the back of her neck "And I am really sorry, I just lost track of time"

"You better find a way to tell her that, because she was really upset" Cassie said

"I need to go and find her" Emily said

"I tried it, Liam and I went to look for her a while ago, we have no idea where she can be" Cassie said

"Have you checked the local pool? She likes to go there to be alone" Emily said

"Yeah, we checked everywhere and she isn't there, I am starting to get really worried Em, she's never gone for so long"

"I'll find her" Emily said "I… am going to re-check every single place if it's necessary"

"Fine, but if you don't find her in an hour I am going to call the police" Cassie said "My sister is out there with this cold, I don't want her getting hurt or catching a flu or something"

"Okay" Emily said "I'll go find her and see if she still wants to talk to me"

Cassie nodded softly, she knew that if someone could find her sister, then that someone was definitely Emily; and even if she was now really mad at her, she knew that she was going to find Paige.

Ever since she started her relationship with Maya, Emily hadn't been the same. She never had time for her friends, or for being with her mom, she only wanted to be with Maya, and Maya seemed to do everything that she could to maintain Emily occupied.

Cassie actually didn't really care, she missed Emily obviously, but she wasn't going to waste her time getting mad, or getting angry at her; but she felt bad for Paige; her sister was the more affected in all of this, because Emily used to spent a lot of time with her, and she had a connection with Emily, a special connection that she hadn't with anyone else so, it was hard for her to see how Emily dedicated more time to other people and let her aside.

Emily walked outside the house and jumped on her bike again; it was starting to get dark and it was cold, she knew she had to hurry if she wanted to find Paige, the girl was afraid of the dark and Emily didn't want her to be alone outside.

The thing was that there were a lot of places where Paige could be; it wasn't like every time she decided to run away from her house she went to the same place. Paige liked to explore and to find new places so she could be anywhere.

This wasn't the first time she did something like this, but now it was the first time that Emily was so worried, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to Paige.

She rode her bike to the center of the town and went to the first place that came to her mind; and then she kept on looking for Paige until she finally ended up sat on a bench in a park asking herself where the hell could Paige be.

She had been looking for her for about half an hour and she couldn't find her, she went to a couple of parks, the local pool, the mall; the school… she couldn't find her.

A tear fell from her eyes and she let out a deep sigh; what if something bad happened to Paige because of her? Why if she never saw Paige again?

She felt really bad, Emily just wanted to find the girl and take her home so she could be safe and do everything that was in her hand to make it up to her.

And then, an idea crossed her mind, it was like a flash that came to her mind; there was one place that she hadn't checked, one place she totally forgot. Emily jumped on her bike once again and rode quickly to the local library.

A library wasn't the most normal place for a six year old child to go, mostly because that child probably had tons of things better to do, but Paige was not as the rest of kids. Emily had taken her there a couple of months ago. One day that she had an exam and had to study and she had to baby sit Paige because Cassie was out.

So Emily and Paige ended up in the library while Liam had a 'videogames' party with some friends at home.

During one of her study breaks Emily noticed that Paige was bored so she took her to the kids section and they sat on the floor and read some books there. But Paige, being the smart curious and kind of strange girl that she was had some interest in some other sections so they ended up in the 'nature' section.

Emily never understood why Paige liked flowers so much, it was really weird; she sure like flowers as a normal person and obviously loved them when she was a kid but not as much as Paige. Paige was kind of obsessed with them.

So a couple of days a month they went to the library to read for a while and watch flower's books.

Emily arrived to the library in a few minutes and entered almost running looking everywhere as if she was possessed. A couple of people that were there reading in silence looked at her curiously.

"Paige!" She said nervously trying to find the girl.

"Shhhh" Someone said. Emily looked at the boy who just told her to shut up and rubbed her head embarrassed

"Sorry" She said

She walked to another section and looked around in concern "Paige" She whispered as she walked around looing behind the shelves and under the tables.

Emily was about to lose all hope when she finally walked to the section she always went with Paige and spotted the girl sitting there on the floor, with her knees pressed against her chest and eyeing a book.

"Paige" She said as she approached her. Paige didn't look at her, she didn't even make a move when she heard Emily; she just placed her hand on the book and turned the page.

Emily knew that she was mad or probably upset, Paige was a talkative person, at least with her and when Paige was silent that meant that she was not in the mood or that she was probably mad. Emily knew her too well, and knew that today if Paige was sad it was her fault.

She knew that Maya was kind of making her grow apart from everyone, she pretty much spent the days with her, which she loved by the way, but she knew Paige wouldn't understand that and today she failed her.

Today she was supposed to meet Paige for one of her walks, Emily promised her that they were going to go to the park and then after she did her homework Emily was going to take her for dinner.

But Emily forgot it; she forgot it completely. Maya had insisted that they should study together, so Emily went to her house but when they were in Maya's room, obviously things got a bit intense and they kind of forgot about studying, actually after that Maya just suggested that they should watch a movie. And then was when Emily remembered that she had to be with Paige…

"Paige" Emily said again. She sat next to her and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. Paige pulled apart from her touch with a quick movement and turned the page again.

"You're not going to talk to me?" Emily asked. Paige sniffed and shook her head while she kept her gaze fixed on the book.

"Paige… I am really sorry for not showing up today" Emily said. Paige closed the book and made eye contact with Emily. She had been crying, she had her eyes puffy and red and her cheeks were wet. "I'm sorry Paige" Emily repeated

"You forgot" Paige said in a low voice "You forgot about me"

"That's not true" Emily said. She looked down embarrassed and thought about it, actually it was true.

"Then why didn't you come?" Paige asked with sadness

"Okay" Emily said "I forgot" Paige looked down and her lip quivered a bit "Please don't cry" Emily said

"I know that I forgot Paige, but I am really, really sorry I swear I didn't do it on purpose" Emily once again

"I was waiting for you" Paige whispered

"I know sweetheart, I just lost track of time and forgot the hour" Emily said

"It doesn't matter" Paige said finally sighing deeply.

Emily looked at her and then sat a little bit closer to her; Paige fixed her gaze on the floor but clearly was waiting for Emily to do something.

"It does matter" Emily said smiling softly "You know why?" She asked

Paige looked at her briefly and then shook her head as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Because you're really important to me" Emily said "And the fact that I forgot about or time together today doesn't change that"

"Really?" Paige asked in a whisper

"Of course" Emily said "And I am really sorry, I feel really bad for what happened but you know what?"

"What?" Paige asked, she looked this time at Emily, she had stopped crying and had a half smile on her face

"We don't have school tomorrow" Emily said smiling "What do you think about spending the day together?"

"The day?" Paige asked

"The whole day" Emily said "Just you and me; and we could do whatever you want, I promise"

Paige didn't answer; she moved closer and hugged her tightly for a long while. Emily smiled into the hug and buried her nose in Paige's hair as she returned the hug. She didn't know why, but she felt so relieved knowing that Paige forgave her and gave her other chance, she felt so relieved and so happy at the same time…

About ten minutes later they were walking to Paige's house to let Cassie know that she was okay. Paige talked during all the way back about what they were going to do the next day; she wanted to go to the woods, to see the flowers, and then she wanted to go to the Brew to have breakfast and she wanted to go to watch a movie and a lot of things.

Emily listened to her as the girl talked and thought about the possibility of doing everything, she sure had money to pay the movie and some breakfast and lunch so everything was right. The only thing that was worrying her a bit was the fact that she had to cancel her day with Maya.

Her girlfriend had asked her if they could spend the day together and go to her cabin to have a quiet day there; Emily had been looking forward to it all week, she loved Maya and wanted to spend as much time as possible with her; but tomorrow was for Paige. She couldn't let her down again, she hated to see the little girl upset, and mostly if it was because of her so this time Maya could wait.

* * *

 _Present day_

Emily was dragged out of her thought and memories when she heard the intercom a few times. She frowned and rubbed her forehead confused; it was late at night, probably a bit past eleven, and she wasn't expecting anyone.

She stood up when it was evident that the intercom wasn't going to stop ringing and answered it quickly.

"Yeah?" She said softly

"Emily!" A familiar voice sounded, Emily smiled but frowned again at the same time

"Ezra?" She asked "What are you doing here?"

"I can explain later. Can you please open the door?" He asked "It's kind of cold down here"

Emily sighed and finally opened the door for her friend; she walked back to the living room, where she was a moment before and rushed to clean up some things.

She wasn't exactly a messy person, she liked to have her things organized and clean but today she just had let herself go a bit. When she arrived home from school she wasn't feeling too well, so she just went to her bed and slept for hours, and then since she didn't have anything to do for the next day she just made some popcorn, grabbed her covers and lied on the couch to have a movie night.

She picked up the now empty popcorn bowl, and the covers that were at the side of the couch in a messy ball, and turned the TV off.

Just as she did that she heard some knocking on her door. She combed her hair a bit and fixed her shirt; she was dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt since she was cold and wasn't planning to go out.

"Hello my friend" Ezra said as he entered the apartment with a huge smile and two big boxes of pizza.

"Uh… hi" Emily said as she followed Ezra to the living room.

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked curiously looking around

"No, not actually" Emily said

"Okay, so what do you say about pizza and a movie?" Ezra asked

"Ezra… it's kind of late… what are you doing here?" Emily asked seriously

"Well, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk, and casually noticed that your light was on so I decided that it might be a good idea to hang out for a while" He said

"Casually?"

"Yeah"

Emily rubbed the back of her neck; it wasn't a bad idea actually, she didn't have anything better to do, and she definitely could use some company, so she smiled and grabbed the pizza boxes to take them to the kitchen.

"So… are you going to tell me what really happened to you?" Emily asked as she put some popcorn in the microwave and cut the pizza.

"I couldn't sleep"

"Since when you can't sleep?" Emily asked

"Okay, I might have been thinking quite a lot lately, and that is keeping me awake at nights"

"You've been thinking?" Emily asked "About what?"

Ezra smiled softly and helped Emily to take everything to the small table on the living room. They sat on the couch and Emily looked at him waiting for an answer.

"You know… life, love, that stuff"

"Life and love… sounds intense" Emily said

"I know, and it is, I don't even know why I think about it too much though"

"It's because of the age" Emily said half-jokingly as she laughed

"It must be" Ezra said. He wasn't a really serious person. Ever since Emily met him, she had been amazed about how easy was to be around Ezra, he was always smiling, always had good advice for everyone, and always seemed to be so positive about everything. Seeing him like this was weird. "I just think that this is because I have been feeling alone lately" He confessed

"Alone?"

"Yeah" Ezra said "I think Spencer is right"

Emily blinked a few times and looked at the floor as she thought and fought the urge to laugh, she just heard Ezra agree with Spencer.

"What did you just say?" Emily asked

"What?"

"Did you say: Spencer is right?" Emily asked again with a smile

"Really funny Em" Ezra said "And by the way, yes I said that, but if you tell her this I am going to deny it" He said

"It's okay; I am not going to tell anything"

"Fine" Ezra said. He grabbed a slice of pizza, leaned back on the couch and took a big bite "I just think that I am tired of this you know?" He asked to a mouthful of food

Emily sat cross legged next to him and grabbed a slice too. "Tired of what?" She asked

"Of being always flirting with girls… I mean, I like girls, a lot actually" He said "But I feel as if I just don't want to be a 'player' anymore"

"What made you think that?" Emily asked curiously

"I just think that I miss being in love" Ezra confessed

"I know that feeling" Emily agreed with him, they both sighed deeply.

"It's been a long time since I had a formal, long relationship" Ezra said "And I miss that"

"Why did you end up with her?" Emily asked

"It didn't work, we wanted different things from life, and well; we grew apart the last months so it was the right thing to do" He said

"Sorry"

"Don't be; I learned a lot from that relationship, but I miss that though, I miss to have stability with someone… I miss to get home and have someone waiting for me; to just be with someone even if it's just for cuddling, or just to talk; I just miss it"

"I think I do to" Emily said softly looking down. She didn't want to admit it yet, but she actually missed that too; she missed to feel safe with someone, and to be loved…

"Hey, I didn't come here to depress you" Ezra said smiling when he noticed Emily's sad face

"It's okay" Emily said "I was just thinking"

"About what?"

"About the fact that I have been a long time without meeting anyone" She said "I don't even remember how to flirt or how to approach a girl"

"Does that mean that you want to try?" Ezra asked with a devilish smile

"I don't know. I feel terrified of… you know, meeting new people but it's been a long time, and I feel really lonely too" Emily said

"Are you serious? Are you sure you're ready?" Ezra asked

"You're the one that's always pushing me" Emily reminded him

"I know, that's because I'm worried about you; but after what happened I don't want to push you into anything, you can take your time"

"That's the thing, I've been taking my time for a while now, and it doesn't work; so maybe I could try" Emily said shyly. Ezra looked at her in amusement and smiled proudly.

"I'm so happy to hear that" He said

"Thanks… and actually I was hoping you'd help me"

"Help you? How? Do you want to date me?" He asked jokingly

"Thanks but no, thanks. I was actually thinking that you could contact that girl you met at the bar?" Emily asked

"Samara?" He asked; Emily shrugged her shoulders, she didn't know the name of the girl.

"I guess" She said

"That's so cool, you too would make a cute couple" Ezra said

"Okay, okay, don't jump into any conclusions; I didn't say I want a relationship yet, I just want to try to meet new people, I want to start slowly"

"Of course, of course" Ezra said "So I should tell her that you two are just going to hang out… nothing really serious"

"Yeah, tell her that we should meet, but it isn't a date, just yet" Emily said

"Fine" Ezra said.

"Now, we should find a date for you" Emily said

"I don't think that's going to be so easy" He said "What about, we just watch a movie?"

"Sounds good to me" Emily said

* * *

Paige readjusted the weight of her bag on her shoulder and rushed her steps as she looked at the time on her phone; she was late, and she couldn't be late, Coach Fulton hated when one of the girls arrived late to practice.

She almost run to the natatorium and stepped inside nervously, she could hear the splash of the water and the girls talking, Coach Fulton yelling over them and some laughter.

"McCullers!" Fulton yelled. Paige turned around embarrassed and swallowed a lump in her throat.

This wasn't good, the coach seemed to be mad; and she didn't need one of Fulton's punishments, they had a meet in a week, the first meet of the season and Paige had to be the anchor, she needed it; her mom would be incredibly mad at her if she wasn't the anchor.

"You're late" Fulton said approaching her. The girls had stopped what they were doing and were now looking at them with curiosity. Fulton turned around and faced them "Are you going to start swimming or do you need me to do it for you?" She asked. The girls immediately returned to the water without saying a word.

"I'm really sorry" Paige said looking down

"Well I hope you have a really good excuse McCullers, because you know I do not tolerate people who arrive late to my practice and even less if that people is my captain" Fulton said crossing her arms over her chest

"I'm sorry Coach" Paige said again "I had to go to the library to return a book and there were so many people there… I am really sorry"

Fulton reminded silent, she had got to appreciate Paige so much in these past years; she remembered when she started to swim on the team five years ago. She felt bad for her and for her family situation but also knew how great swimmer she was and she wanted to give her as much opportunities as she could. So finally she smiled softly and nodded lightly.

"Fine" She said "I hope it was a book from school"

"For an English essay" Paige said

"Okay, I am going to forget that you arrived late today" Fulton said "As long as you stay after the practice to make up for lost time"

"Of course" Paige said "I'll stay for a whole hour if it's necessary"

Fulton nodded and let out a small laugh; she walked to the pool again and Paige walked to the locker room to change.

She breathed relieved as she finished changing; Fulton wasn't mad, so that meant that she could still be the anchor and that she could make her mom proud of her… even though she knew her mom wasn't going to be proud of her no matter what she did…

When Paige exited the locker room, she walked to the pool to get ready there, she moved her arms and her legs a bit to warm up and then she jumped in the water, she did a couple of laps to warm up before starting to swim harder.

After that they made a couple of races, Paige won every single one and Fulton seemed really proud of it; she stood in front of the pool watching every race with a smile.

Paige finished her last race in record time and heard everyone clapping at her; she approached the edge of the pool and when she was about to place her hands there, to exit the water she saw a pair of legs standing there. She looked up slowly, and suddenly her eyes met Emily's.

Emily took a step back, and saw Paige exiting the pool; they reminded in silence for a moment as they looked at each other. It was weird now, even if they said that they were having a fresh start, it was weird; because now Emily couldn't help but look at Paige with other eyes.

She noticed how well the swimsuit hugged Paige's curves, and how fit the girl was, also she noticed that Paige's nipples were visible under the garment and the moment she realized that she was staring to Paige's chest; Emily cleared her throat and looked away.

"Emily Fields" Fulton said happily as she approached them. Emily breathed relieved and Paige walked to grab her towel.

"Hi Fulton" Emily said

"Miranda" Fulton said

"Uh… okay, Miranda" Emily said smiling

"Good thing you decided to show up"

"Yeah, I apologize for coming so late; I thought practice started now" Emily said apologetically; after her talk with the Coach the other day, Emily had been looking forward to help her. She knew that that implied seeing Paige, but she had to be mature with the situation.

She loved swimming, and she loved teaching, so she thought it would be a great idea to help a little bit, even if it was just for a few weeks. That way she got to see the team in action, and to be near the pool.

"Don't worry Fields, next time you'll be on time" Fulton said "But actually I think you can still help here"

Emily looked at her curiously, she didn't know what Miranda was talking about, but she had a really creepy devilish smile.

"What?" Emily asked

"McCullers!" Fulton yelled "Bring your ass over here"

Emily's eyes found Paige immediately; she was talking with a group of girls near the pool; and Emily couldn't help but notice that girl, Sydney who was really close to Paige as always.

As they talked it seemed like Sydney couldn't keep her hands to herself, she was always making some kind of contact with Paige; and that enervated Emily in some way.

Paige literally ran, when she heard Coach Fulton calling her; she ran there and stood in front of her and in front of Emily and looked down a bit embarrassed.

"Okay ladies" Fulton said "I've been thinking a lot lately, and I've come to a conclusion"

"What conclusion?" Emily asked

"Emily, I want you to work with Paige"

Paige's jaw dropped and Emily widened her eyes in surprise; her first impulse was just to say a massive: no way. But then she rethought about it and kept her mouth shut. Paige in the other hand looked at Fulton without saying a word.

"You were one of the best swimmers in the team" Fulton said "I think you could really help Paige, which is one of the best swimmers here, and has a lot of potential"

"Sorry…" Paige said in a low voice "I don't mean to be rude, but… why do you think I need help?" she asked

Fulton looked at her and then she looked at Emily, she rubbed her forehead and then smiled to Paige.

"Well, listen" She said "I've been working with the swim team for the past twenty years, swimming is one of my passions, I love it and I enjoy every single moment of it, and believe me when I say that I can recognize someone that is enjoying swimming as much as I do. Emily was one of those persons, it was amazing to see her in the water; and I had that feeling with you too"

"Had?" Paige said

"Look Paige, you have an amazing potential for thins, you're good, and you nail it every time you hit the water; but lately, you have been a little bit distracted, I feel as if you're a bit stressed or frustrated, and that's why I wanted you to work with Emily, I want you to learn some of that passion for swimming, and who knows maybe she can help you get rid of the stress and the frustration" Fulton said smiling "She could be a really great help, and you could actually take this just as a way of improvement"

Emily and Paige fell into a weird silence. Coach seemed to be pretty proud about her arrangement.

"Fine" Paige said finally as she looked down once again. Emily looked at her with sadness; she didn't want Paige to feel obligated to something, this should be something fun and Paige looked as if she was going to jail or something bad. Emily knew it was her fault.

"Well then, practice is almost over, you two should arrange when are you going to work and that stuff" Fulton said "Oh and Paige"

"Yeah?"

"Remember that you're staying here after practice"

Fulton walked to the pool again and told the girls to go to change; Emily stood there in complete silence as she stared at Paige who looked like she just was hit in the face or something.

"Why… why are you staying here?" Emily asked after a second breaking the uncomfortable silence. Paige looked at her for the first time in a while and smiled a bit shyly.

"I… arrived late, so I have to stay here and make up for lost time"

"Oh, I didn't have you for the type of person that arrives late" Emily said

"That's because I am not one of those persons; I hate being late… to anything"

Emily smiled softly, she founded extremely cute when Paige was so serious; she raised an eyebrow involuntarily and frowned in a really cute way… everything Paige did was cute and adorable, but Emily shouldn't be thinking about it.

"What do you think… if we started now" Emily said

"Started what?"

"We could start our 'workout pool sessions' now"

"Workout pool sessions?" Paige asked smiling

"Yeah, are you scared Paige?" Emily asked with a soft smile "I didn't have you for a…"

"Let's do this" Paige said cutting Emily before she could end the sentence. Paige was uncomfortable with her, yes, and she was scared of being alone with her, yes, but she was an incredibly competitive person; and she wasn't going to let her emotions overcome, she had to show that she was the best swimmer no matter what.

"Okay" Emily said with a serious tone. She walked to one of the benches that were near the pool and opened her bag to grab a chronometer and then stood up at the edge of the pool.

"So what are we going to do?" Paige asked as she walked next to her

"I am going to time you up" Emily said "And you are going to swim as fast as you can to show me why you are the captain of the team"

Paige took a deep breath and grabbed her cup and her googles from the bench, where she let them a while ago, she hated when people doubted her; and Emily knew that, that was the reason why she was pushing her.

"Are you ready?" Emily asked as she waited for Paige to finish putting her googles. Paige rolled her neck a bit, to warm up and shook her limbs quickly.

"Of course I am ready" Paige said

"Okay" Emily said smiling "Three… two… one" She made a gesture with her hand to indicate that Paige could jump in and she observed how Paige nailed her entrance to the water.

The moment her body hit the pool she was swimming incredibly fast and with a grace Emily haven't seen in a while in any swimmer.

Watch Paige swim was really amazing, she seemed as if she was floating, even though Emily could see some problems there, but it still was amazing.

Paige came back finally, in a really record time, and exited the water with a big smile on her face.

"Wow" Emily said "I'm impressed"

"Thanks"

"Yeah, but… we have a few things to work on" Emily commented

"Which things?"

"First of all, you need to relax Paige" Emily said "You swim really good, but you were all tensed up in the water, and that is making you slower than you should be"

"Tensed?" Paige asked

"Yeah, look when you hit the water, you should just try to forget about everything, do it just for you, just because you love it…"

"I'm working on it" Paige mumbled "I just had a bad week"

At these words both Emily and Paige looked down embarrassed, they remembered too well what happened between them and they knew that part of the stress Paige had was because of that.

"Okay, so I suggest to work twice a week" Emily said with the most professional tone she could. "We need to work on your speed, so we're going to go out and run"

"I do run" Paige said

"I know, but you run to keep your resistance, but not your speed" Emily said "We're going to do runs of shorter periods of time, but increasing the speed of your legs"

"Are you ready to do such exercise?" Paige teased, she laughed for a moment and then looked down a bit embarrassed.

"I'm not that old if that's what you're implying" Emily said "It's been a long time since I ran, but I can still do it"

"Okay" Paige said

"And second, I want to work with your arm stroke, and your movements in the water" Emily said

"Fine" Paige said smiling "Does that mean that I could get to race you?" She asked

"What?"

"You know, race you, have a quick race to see if I can beat you or not" Paige said

"I… yeah… why not" Emily said

"Awesome" Paige said

"For the moment I would say that it would be nice to start next week" Emily said "On Monday, so I can see you in real action this weekend on your meet"

"Yeah, Monday is fine" Paige said

Emily opened her mouth, she was about to say something, she didn't know what, but she was about to say something when they both heard a loud sound coming from the door and then heard steps.

"Hi little booger!" Cassie yelled as she approached Paige and hugged her tightly, she kissed her cheek and then pulled apart with a face of faked disgust "Gosh… you're all wet and cold"

"Uh… I am on my swim practice sis, of course I am wet" Paige said "I've been swimming"

"Correction, you were on your swim practice, but it finished half an hour ago, that's the reason why I am here, what the hell happened?" Cassie asked

Paige sighed deeply and Emily laughed. Cassie then noticed that Emily was there with them and let out a scream as she hugged Emily.

"Hi Emily" She said excitedly "So good to see you again"

"Hey Cassie" Emily said

"Where have you been?" Cassie asked

"Here" Emily said smiling "And my house, I've been having a lot of work

"Sucks…" Cassie said "Well, I have the privilege to be on vacation, but I'll be back to my job next week. We have to hang out" She said

"Yeah definitely" Emily said

"I have so many things to tell you, oh and you have to tell me everything about you now darling, I feel as if I don't know you anymore"

"Cassie, could you please stop screaming" Paige asked interrupting her sister's speech, Emily smiled as she saw Cassie's face, it was the same as the old times, when Paige used to drive Cassie out of her nerves and they ended arguing.

"I was not screaming" Cassie said

"You were"

"I was not"

"You were!" Paige said annoyed

"Now you're screaming" Cassie said

"Because you made me scream"

"Okay" Emily said laughing "You both are screaming now, it's a tie"

"Sorry" Paige said blushing

"Oh my God I had an amazing idea" Cassie said out of nowhere as she ignored her sister "We should totally go out for dinner"

"Dinner?" Paige asked

"Yeah, don't you think it would be amazing? Like the old times"

"Uh… yeah…" Emily said fidgeting with the chronometer in her hands

"Fine" Paige said "But you're paying"

* * *

Paige walked to the locker room, and took a quick shower as her sister and Emily waited for her outside. During her shower she couldn't stop thinking about what was about to come… what had she done to deserve this?! She was doing everything she could to avoid Emily and now she was going to see her out school twice a week and she had to have dinner with her and her sister now.

It was not as if she didn't want to see Emily, because she wanted, but she felt really frustrated whenever she was near her, because she knew that even if she wanted her so badly, she was never going to have her; so she preferred to avoid that torture…

When she exited the shower she changed quickly and walked outside the locker room; Cassie was there with Emily sitting on one of the benches as she laughed at some stupid thing she probably just said.

"Finally" Cassie said standing up "You enjoyed your shower time didn't you?" She asked

"Shut up" Paige said "You always take two hours showers so don't say anything about me"

"Okay, grumpy mood here" Cassie said kissing her sister's forehead "Don't mind her Em, it's going to be a long night"

Emily laughed and they started walking to the exit, Cassie and Emily were talking about something and Paige walked behind them with her hands tucked in her pockets.

"It's going to be a really long night" She mumbled as she looked down.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: It's not jealousy!

Paige cracked an eye open when she heard a loud thud on the hallway, she looked around the room a bit startled and then she rested her head again on the pillow and closed her eyes to get back to sleep.

It was probably around two or three in the morning and she had to get up soon tomorrow, so she didn't want to miss hours of sleep.

A few moments later, she heard the same loud sound, but closer to her door. Paige opened her eyes startled again and sat on her bed a bit confused, it seemed as if someone was in the house… maybe it was her dad, that woke up to go to the kitchen or something.

She lied back again, and the moment she closed her eyes, the door of her room opened abruptly. Paige let out a small scream as she jumped startled, then she relaxed when she saw her sister's figure on the door.

"Hi Paige" Cassie said with a smile and with a really drunken voice. Paige let out a sight, she was at the verge of a heart attack.

"Cassie!" Paige said in a loud whisper "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Cassie laughed and started to walk to her bed; she tripped a few times with her own feet and was about to fall, but she finally reached Paige's bed and she crawled inside of the covers after taking her shoes off.

"I missed you my little booger" She said rolling on her side and spooning Paige, she wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly.

"Cassie! You're crushing me" Paige protested

"Shut up" Cassie said "I missed you… You didn't miss me?" She asked

"No" Paige said with a sharp tone

"I know you did Paige, you always miss me" Cassie said

"What the hell it's gotten in to you?" Paige asked, she felt constricted, her sister was hugging her tightly and she couldn't move. She moved her head a bit to see her sister's face "Ugh… you smell like ten different brands of alcohol" she said "What did you drink?"

"I went to a pub with Em" Cassie said "We danced a lot… I drank margaritas… and vodka… and I don' remember what else, I think tequila…"

Paige sighed and Cassie laughed as she hugged her. They went for dinner a few hours ago, after swim practice, Cassie said that they should go and have a dinner together so they could talk, and they went to the grill, and had a nice time actually.

At first Paige felt a bit uncomfortable being so close to Emily, but finally she just ignored those feelings and she just enjoyed her food, and the company.

But after that, Cassie suggested that they should go to dance; Paige wasn't in the mood to go and dance, even less if Emily was going to be there, she didn't need to remember what happened when they danced the last time. So she just went home; she had to go to school the next day anyways, so she didn't want to go to bed too late.

"Cassie, let me go" Paige said trying to free her body from her sister's embrace. Cassie buried her face on the crook of Paige's neck and tightened her grip on her.

"No" She said simply.

"I am so going to kill you tomorrow" Paige said annoyed as she sighed in frustration

"Don't you think this is cute little sis?" Cassie asked with a childish voice "We get to sleep together in my bed same as when you were a little kid"

"We're not on your bed" Paige commented. Cassie looked around the room for a second and realized that her sister was right

"Damn" She said confused "Anyways, is still cute"

Paige smiled softly and then rested her head on the pillow more relaxed this time; she hated when her sister was so clingy and so annoying, but she loved her, and had missed her a lot these past years so she stopped complaining.

"You're never going to change huh?" She asked in a whisper. The only response she got was a soft snore against her neck. "Cassie?" She asked she heard some steady breathing and silence; her sister was asleep. "Goodnight" She mumbled as she fell asleep too.

* * *

The second time Paige woke up was a bit less traumatizing, but still frustrating. She woke up all sweaty and gross, she was hot, she felt hot, and the reason was that she had her sister's body wrapped around hers; Cassie's hair was all over Paige's face and her legs and her arms were constricting her sister's torso.

Paige fought with all she had to free herself from her sister's hold and finally she could manage to leave the bed. She literally ran to the shower and then she went downstairs to have breakfast before going to school.

When she exited her room she looked one more time to her bed; her sister was there sprawled in the middle with her mouth wide open; Paige let out a small laugh at the sight and then went to the kitchen.

The bright smile she had on her face disappeared immediately when she entered the kitchen and saw her mom standing there next to the coffee machine.

"Morning" Claire said in a polite tone

"Hi" Paige said, she regretted walking in there, she completely forgot that today her mom was at home.

"Are you ready to go?" Claire asked

"Yeah"

"Do you want me to drop you off at school?" Claire asked again; she grabbed her mug of coffee and took a sip.

"Uh… no thanks, I'll ride my bike" Paige said

"Okay" Claire said

"Actually… I think I am going to go now"

"You're not going to eat anything?"

"No, I am going to meet Aria, we'll buy something on our way to school" Paige said

"Fine" Claire said, she sipped her coffee again and looked at Paige "You have practice today right?"

"Yes"

"Don't forget to bring me a file with all your times" Claire said "Ask Coach Fulton for it"

"Mom… that is not necessary" Paige said sadly

"It is, you know I want you to do the best, so I want to check on your times to see if you're improving or not" Claire said in a sharp tone

"Whatever" Paige said as she walked to the door.

"Don't forget about the files!" Claire yelled from the kitchen before Paige exited the house.

Paige walked to the garage to grab her bike and sighed deeply; she hated this, every time her mom was at home for the day they ended up arguing, sometimes they just argued about stupid things, but the point was that they never could be on good terms for a day.

What she said about meeting Aria on her way to class wasn't a lie; she rode her bike and she met the girl halfway from school, and since they had enough time before classes started they went to the Brew to eat something.

They sat on one of the loveseats next to a window; Aria ordered a green tea with a small sandwich, and Paige ate a piece of chocolate cake with a coffee.

"I'm so glad that we're doing this" Aria said smiling

"Having breakfast?" Paige asked to a mouthful of cake.

"Yeah, meeting before school, having breakfast… I feel as if I haven't seen you in a week" Aria said. Paige swallowed her food and looked down sadly.

"I'm sorry" She said

"It's okay, we both have been busy"

"Damn right" Paige said "senior year is kicking my butt… plus I have a lot of work this year on the swim team"

"Your mom is pressuring with that right?" Aria asked

"Well, yeah, but is not just my mom you know? I actually want to do my best this year, and Coach Fulton is putting a lot of pressure on me, which I like, but is really tiring"

"I know, but look at the right side, you're going to get really good offers from college"

"Yes" Paige said "I have my first meet on Saturday"

"I am going to be in the next row cheering for you" Aria said proudly

"Thanks, that way I'll be less nervous" Paige commented. Aria sipped her tea and looked at her curiously

"Since when are you nervous before a meet?" She asked

"Well, do you remember Ms. Fields?" Paige asked, she felt her stomach twist a bit when she pronounced that name.

"Yeah, our history teacher" Aria said

"Okay, so she is like a freaking legend in the Rosewood swim team, she was the best swimmer of her year and has a lot of records that we're still trying to break nowadays"

"Wow" Aria mumbled "I didn't know that"

"And guess what, Coach Fulton decided that it was a good idea for her to work with me" Paige said "So we're going to start training on Monday"

"But that's a good thing… right?" Aria asked "I mean… it's cool that she can help you improve if she was that good"

"I know, but she's going to be watching the meet, and she's going to be analyzing it and that stuff, so that makes me nervous" Paige confessed

"You should relax a bit my friend" Aria said "Just concentrate on winning the race, as you always do and then everything will be alright, she will be impressed by you, believe me" Aria said "I never imagined that you're going to get nervous because of a teacher"

"I don't get nervous because of a teacher" Paige said lifting uncomfortable on her seat.

"I know, I was just joking" Aria said.

They reminded silent for a moment as they continued eating, Aria was about to finish her sandwich when she raised her gaze and then she smiled and looked at Paige again.

"Speaking of… isn't that Ms. Fields?" She asked as she laughed

"What?" Paige asked confused

"Behind you" Aria said.

Paige turned around for a moment and spotted Emily waiting on the counter for her coffee; she was wearing a simple black suit pants, and a baby blue shirt with a jacket. And she was breathtaking; she looked so professional and so sexy…

"What a coincidence" Aria said

"Well, she lives next to the Brew so…"

"Do you know where she lives?" Aria asked

"Uh… well, yeah, Pam told me" Paige said nervously

"Right; you know sometimes I just forget she is Pam's daughter" Aria commented

"Well, that's because she's been away for so long"

"Yeah"

Paige looked behind one more time and for a second her eyes met Emily's; she returned her gaze to the table, embarrassed, and then rushed to finish up her coffee so they could go; the more she could avoid Emily, the better.

Aria finished her sandwich and they both stood up quickly to walk to the door; on their way they saw Emily turning around carrying a cup of coffee in her hands.

She looked at Aria first and smiled politely at her; Aria waved her hand to her and continued walking nonchalantly, and then Emily looked at Paige for a moment, it seemed as if she was about to say something, but Paige looked away as she walked outside.

Emily sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead in frustration; Paige was avoiding her, it was noticeable now; at first she just thought that it was in her mind but now that she saw the girl's attitude towards her it was pretty clear that she felt uncomfortable and didn't want to talk. Their conversation yesterday was nice, but it was just for training, they actually didn't talk about anything too personal.

She grabbed her bag again and walked outside the Brew; today was going to be a really long day and as she walked to the school she thought about how she was going to do; her date was at seven, she didn't want to call that 'date' but anyways; so she was going to go to meet this girl Samara at the mall to go for a walk, and then they were going to a restaurant.

Emily wasn't sure if she was ready to meet someone; she kept asking herself if this was a good idea. She didn't feel prepared to go on a date, and actually she felt really nervous about it; the last time she was on a date it was a long time ago, about two years ago, so she barely remembered how to act or what to say…

* * *

When she walked into the school she slowed her steps and walked without any rush to her first class; she had to be with first year, and she already knew that they always were late.

She stopped for a moment to check if she had the exams corrected in her bag and suddenly she felt a pair of hands on her eyes.

Emily nearly jumped startled, she wasn't expecting that; those hands were cold and thin, but she kind of imagined who it was by the small giggle she heard and the smell of sweet perfume.

"Spencer" She said smiling. Spencer moved her hands from Emily's eyes and walked next to her.

"Hi" She said happily; Emily observed her for a second, Spencer was looking at her expectantly as she smiled brightly

"Someone has energy" Emily said

"It's just a nice day" Spencer answered as they walked. Emily looked at her a few times and noticed that Spencer never moved her gaze from her so after a moment she stopped in the middle of the hallway and faced her friend.

"Okay, what?" She asked

"What… what?" Spencer repeated

"Gosh… you're looking at me with creepy eyes and a weird smile, what is it?"

"Fine" Spencer said; she let out a laugh and clapped her hands "Ezra told me"

"Told you what?" Emily asked

"The great news"

"What news?" Emily asked, instead of answering Spencer just smiled "He told you about my…"

"Date?" Spencer interrupted "Yes"

"Why? I told him not to say anything" Emily said

"I know… and I wasn't supposed to say anything to you… but I am just so excited!" Spencer said "This is so cool, do you know what you're going to wear? Do you know where you're going to go?"

"Spence…" Emily said "First of all, this is not a date" Spencer looked at her with a raised eyebrow "I mean it maybe is but I want to take it just as if it was just a nice dinner to meet someone okay? This doesn't mean that I am going to start to date this girl or that I am going to keep seeing her; I just wanted to try"

"Okay" Spencer said "And I think you're right, but at least you should be open to the possibility you know? I mean who knows; maybe tonight you're going to meet the love of your life"

"I doubt it" Emily said "But thanks, and by the way we're just going to the mall for a walk and to a restaurant so…"

"Sounds romantic to me" Spencer said with a devilish smile "A romantic walk with a romantic restaurant… I think you should book a hotel"

"Spencer!" Emily said

"There's a cozy one near the mall, it's really cool"

"Spencer" Emily repeated

"What?"

"No one is going to book a hotel, because nothing is going to happen"

"How do you know that?" Spencer asked "Maybe the girl is cute and nice and you like her"

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean that I am going to sleep with her, it takes more than one date for me to get to sleep with someone"

"So you're not an easy girl huh?" Spencer asked smiling softly

"Of course not, so for the moment I am just going to have dinner with Sarah and that's it" Emily said with decision

"Uh… love the idea, and I totally support you, but I think her name is Samara" Spencer corrected

"Whatever…"

 _10 years ago_

Emily was in front of the mirror finishing her make up as a soft music played on the background; she sighed as she checked her dress and then grabbed her bottle of perfume to put some.

"You look really pretty" Paige said with a soft voice as she looked at her. Emily smiled and walked to her.

"Thanks"

It was Saturday, around five or six o'clock, and as every single Saturday Paige was spending her day with Emily; they actually used to spend the whole weekend together.

Paige had gone to Emily's house that morning to have breakfast with her, they ate pancakes with hot chocolate and then Emily helped Paige with her homework, after that they just sat on the couch to watch movies.

Now Emily was getting ready for a date; Maya had invited her to a new restaurant that was on the mall, it was a nice and fancy restaurant that was opened to the public a month ago, and Maya had been wanting to go there ever since.

Paige was sitting on Emily's bed watching her getting ready as she ate a brownie that Pam made for them a while ago.

"Are you going to see your girlfriend?" Paige asked curiously with her mouth full of brownie. Emily smiled at her and nodded

"Yeah, I have to meet her in an hour"

"Can I go?" Paige asked

"No sweetheart, sorry…"

"Is because Maya doesn't like me?" Paige asked

"What? No, that's not true, she does like you" Emily said

"She said I am clingy and tiresome" Paige whispered

"That's not true" Emily said "You're not clingy okay? And the reason why you can't come is because this is a date, and dates are just for two people"

"Oh… I want to go on a date too" Paige said beaming

"You will one day" Emily said

"Would you come on a date with me?" Paige asked. Emily looked at her and smiled as she let out a small laugh

"Well, I already have a girlfriend honey, and you're a bit young for me"

"Okay" Paige said a bit upset.

Emily lifted her in her arms and carried her to her table in and placed her in front of the mirror. Paige looked at her curiously as Emily grabbed started to do her make up.

Paige had asked her to do it several times, but Emily always said that she was too young to get her make up done; but still every single time Emily got ready for something Paige asked her if she could get at least a bit of makeup.

So Emily took her time now, she put some lipstick on Paige and some eyeshadow and a few other things and then once she was finished they both looked at the mirror.

"Thanks" Paige said

"Now you look really pretty too" Emily commented "Look, one day, you'll be a really beautiful woman, and you'll find someone that will make you extremely happy so don't worry Paige, you'll have all the dates that you want"

"Really?" Paige asked

"Of course, look how good you look" Emily said pointing to their reflection on the mirror "Imagine that when you grow up"

Paige smiled and turned around to face Emily, she hugged her softly and then Emily helped her off of the table.

"So when I grow up I am going to have tons of boyfriends" Paige said laughing

"Okay… why don't you start with one first?" Emily asked as she walked after Paige.

* * *

 _Present day_

Paige was lying on her stomach as she read the book Mr. Fitz gave the class that week and Aria was lying in the same position next to her as she finished her math homework.

They had been there for about an hour, Paige insisted that since Aria had been feeling a bit left aside by her they should spend more time together, even if it was just to do homework or some boring stuff.

"I'm done with this" Aria said as she let out a sigh of relieve. She closed the book and her notebook and rubbed her temples "I can't think more for the rest of the day" She said

"I'm think I'm done too" Paige said closing her book "At least for the day"

"I can't believe you already finished all the rest of your homework…" Aria said "I just finished with math and I have still to do my History homework and study for chemistry… plus I have to read that stupid book"

"I just like to do things on time" Paige said

"That's because you're a fucking perfectionist"

"That's because if I fail in class my mom will kick me out of the house, so I want to be on good terms with her; plus I like studying, I think is interesting" Paige said

"You're weird" Aria mumbled

"But you love me"

"Yeah… yeah I do… why don't we go?" Aria said suddenly

"Where?"

"I don't know, we could just go for a walk… or go to the Brew for dinner" She made a pause and then her eyes widened "We could go to watch a movie!" she said happily.

"A movie?" Paige asked sitting on the bed.

"Yeah, that would be awesome, it's been a long since we watched one" Aria said

"It's not a bad idea" Paige said smiling

They looked at each other with a smile as they agreed on what to do, and then Paige stood up from the bed to go and change.

She was about to get to her closet when the door opened abruptly; Aria turned around startled and Paige looked at the door's direction confused.

"Hello girls" Cassie said as she entered the room with a bright smile

"Hi Cassie" Aria said waving a hand to Cassie.

"Hi sis" Paige said in a low tone

"Are you going out?" Cassie asked happily as she sat on Paige's bed

"Maybe" Paige said

"We're going to watch a movie!" Aria announced as she smiled at Cassie

"A movie?" Cassie asked "Oh… there are so many movies I want to see…"

"No" Paige cut in "Aria and I are going to watch a movie, you are going to stay here, or if you want to go; go and ask Liam"

"So rude" Cassie said

"Actually it'll be fun if your sister joins us"

"See? Your friend wants me to go" Cassie said pointing at Aria

"Aria… are you seriously prepared to stand my sister during a movie?" Paige asked

"Come on little booger, I am not that bad" Cassie said

Paige started to give Cassie a list of reasons of why she shouldn't go with them, and Cassie just started to ignore her.

"I think it'll be fun" Aria said. Paige and Cassie made silence and looked at her "Your sister leaves on Sunday Paige, don't you want to spend more time with her?"

"Yes Paige, don't you want to spend time with me?" Cassie asked smiling.

Paige rubbed her temples and then looked at Aria and her sister, she knew she couldn't argue with them so it was better to give up.

"Okay" Paige said finally

"Yay!" Cassie said happily. She hugged Paige tightly "I know that deep in your heart you love me a lot" She said kissing her sister's cheek.

"Yes, yes" Paige said "You can come with us but, we're leaving in fifteen minutes; if you're not ready by then we're leaving without you" She said seriously

"Fine"

* * *

Emily rubbed the back of her neck nervously and smiled politely as she tried to follow the conversation. She nodded a few times trying to not seem stupid and then she just commented a few things about that subject.

She was at the mall right now; Samara picked her up at seven as she said and they went to the mall; actually they went for an ice cream first and then walked to the mall to have a nice walk until the time to go to the restaurant.

The thing was that Emily was feeling beyond uncomfortable there, and she didn't know how to express it; she didn't really want to continue with this, she wanted to run away and go home to simply watch a movie there and eat some junk food, as she usually did.

She knew that something like this would happen; it was not Samara… Samara was nice, she was a beautiful lady, with interesting conversations and a nice smile; but it was just that Emily felt as if she didn't have to be there, as if she didn't fit in that 'date'.

Samara was a therapist, and she loved to talk about it, but sometimes Emily just didn't understand what she was saying. Even dough the girl was nice, Emily felt completely out of place.

And other than that she now knew that she wasn't ready yet; she was doing this for all the wrong reasons and she was regretting it now. She thought that this could maybe help her to forget but it was making her just feel bad.

"So that was the reason why I moved in here to Rosewood" Samara said finishing her story. Emily looked at her in confusion; she didn't even remembered what they were talking about, so her face went blank and she blinked a few times.

"Oh…" She said "Good thing you came here"

Samara looked at her for a second and nodded; she smiled softly and Emily felt like running; that poor girl must have been thinking that she was having a nice conversation and a nice connection with Emily and that was not true.

"I know right?" Samara said "I'm glad that I came to Rosewood, and that I met Ezra… so know I can be here with you" Emily smiled nervously as she noticed the flirtatious tone Samara used.

"Uh… right" she said

Their time at the restaurant was actually better than Emily expected; she had a nice time, she decided to not think too much about what she felt right now and she allowed herself to enjoy the company and the food.

Samara talked a lot; like she really, really liked to talk; she practically was the only one talking while Emily tried to catch up the conversation and to listen at her, it was weird at first but that helped Emily a lot since she really didn't know what to say.

Finally after they dinner they exited the restaurant and walked around looking at the shops and chatting quietly.

"You know… I am having a really great time" Samara said

"Yeah, me too" Emily agreed, even though she wanted to go home.

"I have to confess that wasn't expecting tonight to go so well"

"Why?" Emily asked confused

"Well, I didn't know how I felt about having a date…" Samara said "You know, I just came out of a long boring relationship and I didn't wanted to jump into dating again, also Ezra said that you weren't so sure too"

Emily looked down for a second and sighed; Ezra was right, and now she felt bad for Samara, the girl was nice and beautiful and she felt bad for not enjoy the night as much as she should do.

"I… wasn't so sure" Emily said "But I am having fun" She said trying to smile

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"We should celebrate that" Samara said smiling brightly; Emily looked at her confused

"How?"

"Let's do something before we go home"

"Something like what?" Emily asked

"I don't know… how about we watch a movie?" Samara asked "There are really good ones now"

Emily bite the inside of her lip and frowned; she didn't want to say no to Samara; even though she really wanted to finish the 'date'. But actually it wasn't that bad, watching a movie meant that they got to be in silence with a bunch of people with them so it was not that bad.

"Okay" Emily agreed finally

"Cool"

Emily smiled at the sudden happiness in Samara's face, and when they started to walk to the cinema, Samara approached Emily a bit and grabbed her hand.

Emily looked at her a bit startled; she wasn't expecting that, and she didn't know what to do now; releasing her hand was a bit rude so she reminded silent as they walked hand in hand.

* * *

"What should we watch?" Aria asked as she stood outside the cinema with her arms crossed over her chest and a raised eyebrow as she eyed the movies.

"This one" Cassie said pointing to one of them

"No way" Paige said

"Why not?" Cassie asked

"It's a romantic comedy"

"I know; that's why I want to see it" Cassie said

"There are plenty of more movies here, better than that one" Paige said

"I wouldn't mind to see that" Aria said agreeing with Cassie

"Aria you're not helping" Paige said

"See? Your best friend wants to watch the same movie as me, you lose, get over it" Cassie said smiling

"Ugh" Paige looked down and sighed deeply.

She looked up again and spotted something that left her breathless for a second. Paige felt like dying in that moment when she saw Emily walking to their direction; she blinked a few times and then tried to act normal.

"Hey isn't that Ms. Fields?" Aria asked as she looked at Emily too

"It's Emily" Cassie said "Emily!"

Paige elbowed her sister trying to make her not yell Emily's name but it was too late; Emily turned around a bit startled and spotted the three girls standing there a few meters from her.

She and Samara walked to them and they stood there awkwardly for a second; Cassie obviously moved to hug Emily and Aria waved a hand to her as she smiled politely; Paige looked at her for a moment and then looked down.

"I can't believe we find you here" Cassie said "What a coincidence!"

"Totally" Aria agreed as she smiled.

Emily smiled softly and then her eyes met Paige; the girl was stood next to her sister and her gaze was fixed on Samara and Emily's joined hands; all this time Samara had been quiet next to Emily as she smiled at the girls.

Emily realized what Paige was looking and immediately released Samara's hand a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry… you are?" Cassie asked finally looking at the blonde girl next to Emily.

"Samara" She said politely

"Samara… I like it" Cassie said, Emily coughed next to her

"Are you going to watch a movie?" Samara asked trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, we're kind of having trouble to decide which one" Aria said laughing

"Yeah, my sister here is the one causing trouble" Cassie said elbowing Paige.

Paige laughed nervously and Emily looked at her for a moment; Samara just stared at her but didn't say a word.

"Paige always had a special taste for movies" Emily said still looking at her; she smiled to Paige softly and Paige blushed intensely.

"Well ladies, if you excuse us" Samara said "We're going to decide what movie we're going to watch"

"Oh, so you're together" Cassie said "Did I just saw Emily Fields on a date?" She asked happily. At this point Aria's attention was back to the movies and Paige was doing every effort she had in her body to look away as her sister talked.

"No"

"Yes" Emily and Samara said at the same time; Samara looked at Emily confused, she just said that she wasn't on a date with her… Paige turned around too to look at Emily curiously

"I mean, we're just hanging out…" Emily said nervously

"Yeah, but it's nearly a date" Samara said

"I'm so glad" Cassie said clapping her hands "I'm so glad for you guys; don't you think is cute Paige?" She asked to her sister as she looked at Emily.

Paige made eye contact with Emily again and Emily waited for her answer; she knew that Paige wasn't comfortable seeing her there with a girl; it was pretty noticeable in her face and pretty much the way she was acting.

"Yeah" She said finally. She sighed and walked next to Aria as she tried to not to think about what was happening.

"Well, I'll let you continue the 'almost date'" Cassie said happily

"Thanks" Samara and Emily said at the same time

Paige looked at them discretely as they entered the cinema; she looked at that Samara girl for a moment and took her time to observe her now that she wasn't looking at her. Who the hell was she? Why was she holding hands with Emily? If they weren't on a real date then why they were holding hands?

All the questions hit Paige like a punch in the face; why was Emily on a date? She couldn't be on a date… suddenly she felt like crying; she didn't like what she saw, it wasn't right; that girl was probably nice but she wasn't right for Emily…

Aria and Cassie were talking next to her and then they started to walk to the cinema; Paige stood there in silence as she thought.

"Come on little booger, let's see that romantic comedy" Cassie said happily; she turned around and then looked at Paige seriously

"Are you okay?" She asked in concern

"Uh… Yeah, I am fine" Paige said

"You look pale" Cassie said

"Yeah Paige, are you sure you're fine? You look like you're going to pass out…." Aria said

"No… I… I am okay" Paige said "Really"

"We could go home if you want" Cassie said

"No!" Paige said "Girls, I'm fine okay?"

"Okay" Aria said

"Let's go inside then" Cassie said wrapping her arm around Paige's bicep as they walked.

* * *

Paige stopped caring about the movie once they entered the cinema and sat on one of the lasts rows; it was not just that she found it incredibly boring; even though her sister and Aria were amazed by it.

But the thing was that Emily and Samara were sitting a few rows from them; and that girl was really, really close to Emily… which was making Paige wanting to throw up.

She actually wanted to stand up and go and punch her so she wouldn't touch Emily or get closer to her; but she couldn't; she couldn't let her anyone know that she felt something for Emily and she couldn't give the rest of the people there a show so she grabbed the popcorn bowl and started to eat as she fixed her gaze on the screen; even though she checked on Emily from time to time.

But she was not jealous… she couldn't be; Emily didn't want anything with her, she wanted to forget so it was pointless to keep hoping that something would happen; she had to get her out of her mind. Even if it was hard. She couldn't be jealous.

Paige looked one more time and saw Samara smiling at Emily as she whispered something into her ear; and Paige's blood boiled inside of her… it was going to be a really, really long movie.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm happy to know that you like this :)**

Chapter 16: It is jealousy

Emily was sat on the kitchen, it was dark outside; she could see the darkness through the small window that was on the wall next to her, it was probably five or six in the morning and she just got up a few minutes ago once she finally realized that staying in bed was useless since she was awake.

She ate a big spoonful of cereal and then sighed deeply; she was tired, and not just physically, she had had a busy week… she was tired mentally and emotionally, the previous events of the past few days had left her really tired and devastated.

And the thing was that she was tired of thinking about it, this past week had been too much for her and now she just wanted to forget and to be alone as much as possible.

Her phone vibrated next to her; she looked at the screen vaguely (since she already knew who it was) and then she sighed as she continued eating her cereal. The vibration of the phone continued for a few more seconds and then it stopped.

Emily let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her temples and then she looked at the clock; she had time enough to take a warm bath after her breakfast; maybe the hot water could help.

So when her phone started to vibrate again, she just stood up and walked to the bathroom ignoring it, and not even bothering to clean the kitchen first.

Now the one calling her was Spencer; she and Ezra had been calling her for the past two days, and Emily had been ignoring them ever since, obviously; she didn't want to talk about what happened, even if it wasn't something really important, but she just wasn't in the mood to talk.

 _Two days ago, (after the date)_

"I had a really great night" Samara said as she looked up at the dark sky with a big smile on her face; she seemed to be excited and happy, Emily could see a nice bright sparkle in the girl's eyes and that made her somehow feel guilty; because she wasn't feeling anything.

During the date she had been doing the effort of convincing herself that she was having fun, and that she was in the right place, and that she could do it.

But she didn't. Emily couldn't do this; she couldn't just use someone else to try to forget her sudden feelings. Samara was a nice girl, she was pretty, and funny, and actually was an interesting person, but it was just that Emily felt as if she didn't fit with her.

And when they went to watch a movie… Emily felt like dying when they found Paige and her sister there. She hadn't live such an awkward moment in a long time; her heart literally stopped when she saw Paige looking at her with her big brown eyes full of doubts and hurt… she couldn't forget that hurt look on the girl's eyes…

Samara suddenly stopped her steps and turned to look at Emily; she had insisted in walking Emily to her door, she parked the car a few meters from there and they were now walking quietly along the street.

"You're silent" Samara commented, as she smiled softly; Emily looked down embarrassed and felt her cheeks blush. Samara took this action the wrong way and took Emily's hand as she did before at the mall.

"Uh… I'm just a bit tired" Emily said simply.

"Rough day huh?" Samara asked jokingly, Emily smiled trying to be polite and then she looked down at her feet as they started to walk again.

"I'm just a bit tired from all the work" She said, actually that wasn't a lie.

"I know, but I think it's kind of good to disconnect from time to time; I loved this, date, or not date, as you said" Samara said joking.

"Yeah, thank you" Emily said sincerely "I had a great time too"

Samara smiled sweetly at her and for a moment it seemed as if she was going to make a move to kiss her. Emily cleared her throat uncomfortably and then she pretended to be looking for her keys in her purse.

They arrived to the door of the building finally and they stopped there and fell in an awkward silence. Emily gulped audibly when she saw that look in Samara's face; that sparkled, loving, sweet, cheesy look she had and that soft but devilish smile, she took a step forward to Emily and looked down for a moment.

"I really liked to share this date with you" She said softly.

Emily felt the air escape her lungs and she fidgeted with her hands nervously as she saw Samara approaching her. She knew what was going to happen; she knew it, and she didn't know how to stop it. She felt weird; and the feeling got bigger when she felt Samara's lips on hers.

It wasn't a real kiss; actually their lips barely touched, because the moment Emily felt Samara's hot breath on her mouth, and the moment she felt the girl's lips closer, she took a step back and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry" She muttered embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her neck. Samara combed her hair a bit and then looked away for a second before facing her again.

"I'm the one that should be saying sorry" She said visibly embarrassed "I thought…"

"I can't" Emily said cutting her midsentence. There was an uncomfortable silence after that. Samara looked at her a bit confused and it was pretty obvious that she felt hurt too. She swallowed hard and then looked at Emily.

"Is it something that I did?" She asked with a half shaky voice. Emily shook her head immediately and looked down.

"No, you're amazing" She whispered "You were kind and funny today, it's just…"

"You're not ready" Samara said before Emily could finish. Emily nodded slightly

"I'm sorry" She said again

"You don't have to say so" Samara said politely "After all, as you said this wasn't a real date"

Emily felt her eyes watering and took a deep breath as she fought her tears; she felt horrible for hurting Samara, and felt horrible for lie to herself.

Samara approached her once more and placed her hand on Emily's cheek; she ran her thumb softly along the skin and wiped a tear that fell from the girl's eye. They reminded silent for a second and then Samara kissed Emily's cheek softly before taking a step back to put some distance between them.

"You're an amazing woman Emily" She said with a serious tone "You deserve the best of everything… and I'm sure you will find it"

Emily looked at her in the eyes and found sincerity and care; how could she not like Samara? She was the most decent person she ever met in a long time, and now after the rejection she was there trying to cheer her up even if she must be feeling horrible.

"You deserve the best too" Emily said with a small smile.

Samara nodded and offered her a warm smile, before turning around and start walking to her car; Emily stood by the door unmoving as she looked how she walked away, she hated what had happened.

But probably it was for the best; she couldn't just pretend that she could be with someone when clearly she was not ready and when she clearly was having feelings for someone else.

She finally entered the building and walked upstairs to enter her apartment. The place was dark and silent; she walked to her room and changed into comfortable clothes, then she went to the living room and turned the TV on.

She had feelings for someone else… this was the first time that she was really accepting it; she couldn't live in denial all time. But just thinking that that person she had feelings for was Paige; her student, that was ten years younger, and that was her best friend's sister, made her want to throw up… what had happened to her to end up like this?

Emily didn't pay attention to the TV; she sat there on the couch as she thought; she thought about Paige, and about her failed date, and she cried; she cried until at some point of the night she fell asleep.

* * *

 _Present day_

Paige walked along the hallway in silence, with her gaze fixed on the floor as she listened to Aria; who was walking next to her as she chatted quietly. Actually Paige was pretending to hear her because the truth was that she hadn't been paying any attention to her friend's words.

Her mind was in other place; it had been in other place since Wednesday night when she saw Emily with that other girl. That image was graved in her brain and she couldn't get rid of it.

That night it seemed as if it was a joke; a really bad joke someone decided to make her, first she had to see Emily with that girl walking hand in hand and then they entered to see the same movie as them.

Paige didn't even remember the title of the movie; she didn't watched it, she just could watch Emily sitting next to the girl, who was really close to her and who whispered things on her hear from time to time. And the anger overcame her.

That was why when she got home she didn't even took the time to talk to her sister or to her dad; she ran to her room and collapsed on her bed crying.

She didn't even know why she was crying; actually it was nonsense, this weird feelings she had for Emily weren't okay; Emily was her teacher, she was older, and she made perfectly clear that between them there was nothing, the kiss they shared was just a moment of confusion, it was just a moment they shared and nothing more; Paige couldn't be jealous just because Emily found someone nice to be with; it was actually normal.

But that didn't change the fact that Paige felt terribly bad; and the following two days, after that Wednesday night she had been trying to avoid Emily or school at all cost.

Actually she had the luck that her parents had an intense shift those days so she pretended to be sick and since the only one at home was Cassie; she was able to make her believe that she needed to rest.

"Ugh I have an exam" Aria complained as they stood up next to Paige's locker.

"Good luck then" Paige said smiling "I have a math exam tomorrow" She said, Aria eyed the notes on her hand and sighed deeply

"I hate exams…"

"Just one more year" Paige said "And this will be over"

"Yeah, because then we will be in college… and we'll have double work" Aria said

Paige opened her locker and laughed as she looked at Aria, she had the tendency to stress really quickly when she had too much to do and it was obvious that all that stress was starting to manifest in the way she was biting her lip and the way she was moving her legs.

"Are you okay?" Aria asked as she eyed Paige. Paige realized that her mind had gone blank for a moment and cleared her tat as she smiled softly.

"Yeah" She said "I'm fine"

"You're not still sick right?" Aria asked concerned

"No, I am just a bit tired" Paige said "You know, I had to study until late and well, I had a bit sick these past days buy I am fine"

"Good" Aria said satisfied with the answer "I should head to class, I don't want to be late"

"Sure" Paige said "I'll see you later"

Aria waved her hand at her softly and then she walked away as she re-read her notes. Paige looked at her for a second and then she buried her face on the locker as she looked for her books.

She closed the locker door and when she turned around she almost dropped the books and her bag to the floor.

"Holy sh… Sydney" Paige said as she placed a hand on her chest trying to calm her racing heart a bit "You scared the hell out of me"

"Sorry" Sydney said as she offered a smile "I just saw you standing here and I wanted to say hi… Hi"

"Uh… Hi" Paige said trying to smile sincerely. Sydney looked at her with a warm look and a shyly expression.

"You have English now right?" She asked to Paige; Paige nodded and started to walk wishing that Sydney will took the hint and will go away; but she just started to walk next to her.

"I'll walk you" Sydney said happily

"Thanks" Paige muttered under her breath.

Sydney let out a content sigh and walked a bit closer to Paige; Paige looked at her and then fixed her gaze on the floor.

"Are you ready for tomorrow's competition?" Sydney asked as she kept walking. Paige rubbed the back of her neck and nodded lightly.

Tomorrow was the big day; the big race, the one they needed to win if they wanted to have a good position in the competition; and she was so nervous and so tense about it that she felt like dying. Sydney in the other hand seemed to be really relaxed; she was smiling and had a special brightness in her eyes, as if she didn't care that if they didn't win Fulton was going to be incredibly upset at them.

"I think I am" Paige said finally "Maybe a little nervous"

Sydney stopped suddenly and looked at Paige with widened eyes; Paige frowned in confusion and reminded silent for a moment.

"How can you be nervous?" Sydney asked surprised

"It's a really important day" Paige said pointing out the obvious

"Yeah, but you're the star of the team!" Sydney said "You are the only one of all of us that shouldn't be nervous"

"Do you really think that?" Paige asked

"Of course, you always have the best times, you hardly lose a race in practice… and have a perfect arm stroke and… not that I pay much attention to it…" Sydney said a bit embarrassed "but yeah, you're good" Paige offered her a small smile, and Sydney blushed intensely as she looked down.

"Thanks Sydney" She said "You're a great swimmer too by the way" Sydney looked down, her cheeks red, and a soft smile on her face

"Thank you… but I have a lot to work on; Coach Fulton says that I need to improve"

"She wants us to be the best" Paige said

"Yeah, but that's why I think I am never nervous before a race" Sydney said

"Why?"

"I don't care… I mean, I obviously want to be the best and that stuff… there's nothing I want more than get a scholarship but, I started to swim because I wanted so if I want to be the best I want to do it because of me; not anybody else" Sydney said. Paige looked at her openmouthed for a second and then nodded in understanding; she wished that she could think like that.

"That's great" She said

"It takes out a lot of pressure"

"I guess… shame that I can't think like that" Paige said, she said that more to herself.

Sydney placed her hand on Paige's arm and approached her slowly; she smiled gently and looked into Paige's eyes directly.

"You just need to relax, that's it, but even if you don't… just remember that you're the star on the team; so you don't have to worry so much"

Paige gulped audibly when she realized that Sydney's face was only a few inches from hers; Sydney seemed to notice this too and she cleared her throat and took a step back immediately.

"Thanks, for the advice" Paige said

"You're welcome" Sydney said "I just think that you're awesome… and that I admire you a lot"

Paige smiled genuinely for the first time in all day, she nodded and decided to hug Sydney; the girl might be creepy sometimes, but she was sweet and really nice, and actually Paige needed a hug so she went for it.

Sydney let out a small whimper in surprise as she felt Paige's arms around her; it took a second for her to return the hug but finally she did it as she smiled like an idiot into Paige's shoulder.

When they broke up the hug, a few seconds later, Paige smiled and looked around the hallway; Sydney just retired some hair from her face and looked down shyly. Then Paige felt all the air caught in her throat when she saw a familiar figure standing a few meters from them.

Emily, was standing there, next to the door of one of the classrooms and was looking at her, actually their eyes met for a brief moment before Paige couldn't take it and decided to fix her gaze on Sydney; who was now trying to form a sentence.

"I… have to… go" She said as she fidgeted with her hands nervously and smiled at Paige "I have class"

"Yeah, me too" Paige said

"Okay… I'll see you at practice" Sydney said finally as she started to walk away. Paige observed for a moment as the girl looked at her while walking, she turned around and was about to collide with other student that walked along the hallway too. Paige rubbed the back of her neck and smiled; then she turned around and sighed deeply.

She directed her gaze to the point where she saw Emily a few moments ago but didn't found her; part of her was glad, she had pretended to be sick to avoid her, she didn't really want to face her but at the same time she wanted to see her, and wanted to talk to her again.

Part of her wanted things to be as they were before and the other part just wanted to see where all this feelings she was feeling now could take her; obviously for the moment they were taking her to pain and sadness, she knew that this was wrong for a lot of reasons.

She walked to her next class slowly and without any rush, she wasn't in the mood to be sat all day listening to the teacher talking nonstop, she wanted to be alone.

Maybe she should move on too; it wasn't a bad idea after all, she had been avoiding the 'meet someone else' part for too long; her siblings, her friends, even her dad, had been encouraging her to meet someone, to try and meet some nice girl so she could be happy again.

Paige always listened to everyone's advice about her love life but she never followed it; after her break up, which was actually really painful she decided to stay single for a while, she didn't need anyone hurting her again, she didn't want to feel vulnerable with someone and be betrayed or hurt so the idea of meeting someone again was a bit complicated for her.

But now that she was lost in all this new feelings and confusion the idea of meeting someone knew wasn't that bad; maybe what she needed was to fall in love again so she could forget Emily, not that she had a long love story with Emily but ever since that kiss the only thing Paige could think about was Emily and she didn't want things to be like that anymore. Emily had been always her friend, and that's what they were meant to be: friends.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Spencer asked with a hint of frustration and anger in her voice. She crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed Emily with a hurt look and analyzed the girl who reminded silent for a while.

"You've been avoiding me for two days" Spencer continued "I've been worried all this time, I've been calling you and texting you… even Ezra had been doing the same and you had been ignoring us, what the hell Emily?"

Emily cleared her throat softly and rubbed her temples as she thought about an answer, she had to excuse herself giving a decent explanation; obviously she couldn't just say oh Spence excuse me I've been avoiding you because I'm feeling guilty about having a crush on my eighteen year old student and I am trying to figure out everything so I can't face you… she couldn't say that so she sighed deeply.

"I have been feeling tired and not really well" She said finally "I'm sorry"

"Then why didn't you just say this? Do you have any idea of how worried I was?" Spencer asked, she sat on the couch next to Emily and rubbed her forehead, they were lucky to be alone on the teacher's room, because Spencer was literally yelling at her.

"I know, and I am sorry okay?" Emily said

"This is because of the date right?" Spencer asked more relaxed this time.

On Wednesday night, after Emily's date she called her to ask her for all the details, but instead of Emily she just listened to the voice mail; and that had been it for the past two days; that's why she had been so worried.

"It is" Emily said. Spencer sighed deeply and then looked at her friend trying to be understanding

"Em… why didn't you tell me?" She asked "Was… was it bad?"

Emily looked at her and swallowed the lump in her throat, she was fighting so hard with her tears that it hurt; but she wasn't going to cry. Emily shook her head and looked at Spencer.

"It wasn't bad" She confessed "Actually it was really good"

"So… what's the problem?" Spencer asked confused

"Me" Emily mumbled as she looked down "I was at a nice restaurant with a pretty girl, everything was going well; except that I wasn't feeling comfortable… I didn't fit in that place"

"I see" Spencer said, she finally showed a more sensitive side of herself as she placed her hand atop Emily's "I guess you're not ready after all" She whispered. Emily shrugged her shoulders and looked down.

"I don't know, or maybe it was just that she isn't the right person" Emily said

"Of course" Spencer agreed "That's the attitude Emily, you'll see that you can find another girl, someone perfect for you, you just need to keep looking for the right one.

Spencer started talking about some friends she knew, and some girls Ezra met that could be perfect for Emily; she talked about a group date or a dinner with friends so she could meet someone. But Spencer didn't know that when Emily talked about the right person for some reason she thought about Paige.

Even if she hated that, the moment she said those words the image of Paige came to her mind; it was so sudden that she didn't have the time to stop it. The memory of Paige, and her soft skin… her sweet lips, hit her like a punch.

* * *

It was around five when Emily arrived to the pool already changed in her 'coach assistant' clothes and ready to start with the training. She had been thinking seriously about going or not, it was important because tomorrow was the meet, but at the same time she really didn't want to see Paige.

Her morning had been a real nightmare, first she had to see Paige with that other girl Sydney being really close, and then her talk with Spencer; but the best thing came when she had class with senior year and obviously Paige was there.

The previous two days it had been easy; for some reason she didn't know, Paige didn't come to class, but today she showed up and Emily had to make a huge effort to not look at her, actually she completely ignored her. She felt like a teenager doing such thing but she knew that if she didn't want to make any more mistakes she should keep her distance with the girl. She had to be an adult, she already made the mistake of kissing Paige out of nowhere; she couldn't fuck everything up once more.

So she decided to focus her attention on helping the girls rather to be all the time trying to not think about Paige; she knew how badly the team wanted to win and how hard they were working for it so Emily focused on helping every single girl to improve.

And it worked; Coach Fulton seemed to be really happy about it, she had a bright smile on her face as she watched Emily giving the girls some advice and some indications about the times or the stroke.

The only times when Emily felt a bit distracted were when she had to address directly at Paige, or be near her. She had to face it… Paige in a swimsuit was kind of distracting, and Paige being so close to that other girl Sydney was distracting Emily more than she wanted to admit.

It was like that day Sydney and Paige were twins or something, Sydney was near Paige all the time; when they were warming up, when they were racing, after exiting the water…

"Emily!" The husky voice of Coach Fulton startled Emily, who was now standing near the rows as she eyed the girls (one particular girl actually); she turned around quickly.

"Hey" She said as she cleared her throat.

"I don't know why but I have a really nice feeling about tomorrow" Fulton said clapping her hands and rubbing them together "What do you think?"

Emily bite the inside of her lip and thought about the question; she directed her gaze to the girls that were in the water now and then smiled softly.

"I think they can do it" She said finally; Fulton smiled proudly and nodded

"I've been nervous all the week thinking about it, but now that I look at them…" She made a pause and sighed "You have no idea how glad I am that you're here helping us, you're a nice motivation for the girls"

"Yeah?" Emily mumbled insecurely "I mean, yeah I am glad too"

"Even McCullers is starting to beat her own times" Fulton said, Emily looked at her a bit nervous and then looked at Paige

"Really?" She asked

"Yeah, I think you're a good motivation for her, I can't wait for you to start working with her" Fulton said happily "She's going to be awesome".

Emily watched Fulton as she turned around and started to walk to the edge of the pool to talk to the girls. She directed her gaze to Paige, she and Sydney were talking near the pool as they pretended to listen to the coach. Emily smiled softly and then, her stomach twisted softly when Paige noticed her and for a moment they made eye contact; it was briefly, because Emily looked down immediately and walked to the coach's office.

Paige was the last one to get ready; as pretty much always. She liked to take her time in the shower and change quietly and then she folded her clothes and her towels, everything always in her own time. That's why many times she used to be the last one leaving the locker room and walking outside.

She had been alone in the locker room for a few minutes; the girls finished changing and went but Paige sat in one of the benches and reminded there in silence as she looked at the floor for what it seemed like forever.

The fact was that even if talking today with Sydney had helped her a lot, she was still a bit nervous; her sister was going to be there to watch her swim, even her dad; her mom had said that she'd go, but Paige didn't believe her anymore, Claire had said that so many times that it was impossible to believe her. But still Paige had the hope that someday her mother will watch her swim, and win obviously, so that was why she wanted to do her best.

Finally when she finished changing she walked outside the locker room and walked slowly to the pool one more time. The place looked so empty and silent now that there was no one there. The only sound she could hear was the water and her own steps as she approached the pool.

She stopped at the edge and looked at the water, then she raised her head and looked at the rows, she could do this, she could win.

"Hello?" A familiar voice came from behind her; Paige turned around and tried to see who was there. She let out a soft sigh when she saw Emily. "Paige? Is that you?" Emily said as she finally approached her

"Yes" Paige said, Emily stood next to her and sighed in relieve

"Oh God, you scared me" Emily said

"Why?"

"I was at Fulton's office and I heard someone walking here… I guess I just got a bit scared" Emily said "You know, it's late now, and this is a bit dark" Paige let out a small smile.

"What were you doing here so late?" Paige asked curiously, she was conscious about the weird tension she felt now that she was near Emily, and that she had been ignoring her for the past two days and now they were talking as if nothing had happened, but she just decided to play it cool, she didn't need to get things worst.

"I was doing some office work" Emily said

"Isn't that Fulton's job? Or the other coach assistant's?" Paige asked

"It is" Emily said "But Fulton asked me to help her today"

"Seems funny" Paige said, Emily let out a laugh and then looked down

"What about you?" She asked after a moment of silence "What are you doing here so late?"

"I was just thinking" Paige said, she tucked her hands inside of the pockets of her jeans and offered a small smile.

"About?" Emily said; she tried to find Paige's eyes, she actually could read the girl very well and now she could see that insecure look Paige should have when she felt upset or nervous. "The race?" Emily asked again.

"Yeah" Paige said. Emily looked down as she laughed for a moment and then looked back at Paige.

"Really?" She asked

"What?" Paige said "Are you going to tell me too that I shouldn't be nervous because I can and all that stuff?" She asked

"Well, not actually" Emily said "I was just going to say that I understand you"

"Really?" Paige asked

"Of course…" Emily commented as she looked at the pool "Maybe you don't remember that I was a swimmer once and that I competed quite a few times"

"That's true" Paige said

"Yes, and I know how it feels to be nervous because of all the pressure and that stuff but"

"What did you do to relax?" Paige asked

"I just focused my attention in the water, you know… I just tried to forget everything else outside the pool and swim" Emily said

"I definitely need to work on that" Paige said "Because I can't concentrate"

"You're good Paige" Emily said "And you know it, but you just need to get rid of your own pressure, and start enjoying what you do"

"I guess" Paige said looking down, she let out a deep sigh and then raised her head again to face Emily.

The woman looked tired, it was a bit dark in there so Paige couldn't really see Emily fully but she looked tired, and a bit sad; but still beautiful as always. They reminded silent for a moment looking at each other; Paige didn't know why she had to feel so attracted to her, but now that she was standing so close she was feeling something in her stomach; it was like a force that pushed her to get closer to Emily.

Their eye contact never broke this time, Paige took a small step towards Emily and Emily started to lean her body a bit… But this couldn't end up good so the moment she realized what she was doing; she cleared her throat and took a step back.

"I should go" Paige said finally, she looked one more time at Emily's lips and then she moved her gaze and started walking.

"I should too" Emily said. Paige stopped and looked at her "I'll walk you…If you don't mind"

Paige nodded softly and started walking again. She didn't want to be near Emily, not when she couldn't be with her; but at the same time she wanted to see her, because the few times they got to talk without any weird tension it felt as the old times, when they were friends and Paige could tell Emily everything.

They started to walk in silence, Emily checked that the lights were off and that everything was in order and then they exited the place.

"Are you feeling better?" Emily asked suddenly after a few moments of silence. Paige looked at her confused

"Better?" She asked

"Yeah, Aria told me that you weren't feeling good these past days" Emily said a bit concerned.

"Oh…" Paige looked down for a moment "Yes" She said finally "I was a bit sick… but I am definitely better"

"You seemed fine on Wednesday" Emily said. She didn't know if it was a good idea to bring that up, she could remember Paige's face perfectly when she saw her with Samara…

"I was" Paige said a bit uncomfortable "I just got sick to my stomach the next day"

"I'm glad you're better now" Emily said

"Thanks" Paige said awkwardly; she knew that she was really bad at lying and also she knew that Emily used to be really good at finding out when she was lying; so she hoped that Emily didn't noticed it, because she didn't need Emily finding out that she didn't come to school the past days because she was devastated about what happened; because she was jealous…

The rest of the walk was a bit more silent; neither of them knew what to say so they just did some small talk until they arrived to the front school door where Paige had her bike chained.

"Well…" Paige said "I'm going to head home"

"Me too" Emily said smiling "You are going to be really good tomorrow" She added with confidence

"Thanks" Paige said "No pressure" She joked. Emily let out a laugh and then looked at her

"Okay then" She said after a second. Paige jumped on her bike quickly "Be careful on your way home" Emily said

"I will" Paige answered offering a smile. Emily stood quietly as she watched how Paige left; then she reminded there for a minute or so until she started to walk home.

They had managed to have a nice talk, it was obvious that they both had been tense while talking but they talked, and there were no arguments or something bad, so Emily felt a bit relieved; she thought that talking with Paige after what happened on Wednesday night was going to be impossible. She even felt good; talking to Paige always made her feel good…

She started to walk home finally, her hands in the pockets of her jacket and her gaze fixed on the floor; she had a lot of things in her mind; she was nervous too about tomorrow, she wanted the girls to win, she wanted Paige to win, and mostly she wanted to find the way to have a nice friendship with her, without hurting, or without being awkward; she wanted to have Paige trust again; she knew that she couldn't have something more with Paige, for obvious reasons, but she wanted to have her in her life, even if that meant being just friends.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: No one else

Saturday started as a warm and bright day; it was nearly seven o'clock in the morning when the alarm clock sounded waking up Paige from her sleep. She yawned softly as she cracked her eyes open and then stretched her body slowly.

It had been a hell of a night for Paige, she barely slept a few hours and now she felt out of energy; she sat on the bed and rubbed her eyes several times. She was incredibly tired, and she needed to find some energy for the swim meet.

The door of her room opened suddenly and two familiar figures entered quickly not letting Paige time to protest.

"Good morning" Sunshine, her brother Liam said happily as he jumped on her bed. Paige rubbed her temples as she saw her sister checking out the room and her brother smiling as he made himself comfortable on the bed.

"Jeez… what did you do here last night?" Cassie asked as she kicked some clothes that were lying on the floor out of her way. She

"I was tired" Paige said yawning "I wasn't in the mood to put my clothes back in the closet"

"Anyways" Cassie said sitting at the edge if the bed "Are you ready?"

"Who's going to win today?" Liam said smiling brightly as he tickled Paige's side. Paige let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

"I'm nervous" She said simply as she looked down. Cassie stood up and glanced quickly at her brother, who stood up next to her.

"We know that" Liam said

"That's why we prepared something for you" Cassie commented as she grabbed the sheets that were covering Paige and tugged them until they were on the floor.

"Hey!" Paige protested.

"Don't hey us little booger" Cassie said "You need to get up if you want to be on time, so the first thing is going to be a nice bath"

"I am going to be swimming in a pool, with chlorine and probably a bunch of other chemical stuff… the logical thing would be to shower after the meet" Paige said

"Yeah, but you need to relax so the warm water is going to help, Liam and I made a high protein breakfast for you, so hurry up so we can eat together"

Paige exhaled deeply and finally got up slowly and stretched her body a few times before walking to the bathroom. Cassie handed her a towel and her clothes while Liam went downstairs to get everything ready.

It was weird; Paige wasn't used to this treatment anymore, at least not for the past years. But this pretty much had been her routine ever since she started swimming.

Her siblings knew her too well, so they always tried to calm her down before the meets, it was nice and they always did her best to help her and then; they obviously went to watch her swim. Now that Cassie was gone and her brother wasn't living in the house anymore everything was different.

Liam went to every meet and cheered her up from the first rows with Caleb, that never changed, but she missed to have her siblings support like this, which helped her with her confidence and with her nerves; and the firsts years it helped her to forget the fact that her mother never showed up. She had been swimming for years now and her mom only went to watch her once or twice…

Paige got rid of her clothes quickly and entered the bathtub slowly letting the warm water relax her body; she sat there for a while with her eyes closed as she felt the warmness and the vapor of the water calm her. It wasn't a bad idea after all, and she was enjoying her bath until her sister entered the bathroom suddenly to say that she was going to be late if she didn't exited the water now.

"Okay, so we have pancakes, toasts, bacon and eggs over there and cereal" Cassie said as she signaled to all the things on the table.

"Don't forget the fruit" Liam said he handed Paige an apple "It gives you a lot of energy"

"Guys… I am not going to be able to eat that much" Paige said as she sat at the table and watched all the food

"You need protein" Cassie commented

"Yeah, but not that much…"

"Don't worry sis" Liam said, he grabbed a plate and put some bacon and some toasts in it "We'll help you eat all this"

"Definitely" Cassie said as she sat between them and grabbed a pancake and some chocolate syrup.

Paige poured some orange juice in a glass and ate her pancakes in silence as she heard Cassie and Liam arguing about the swim meet; they always used to do this before the races, they liked to comment about the girls on the team or how great the rival team was, now particularly they were talking about the other team's coach and saying that she wasn't as good as coach Fulton.

Paige didn't know who was better, but what she knew was that she didn't felt ready now that she thought about the other team… Philadelphia's Ravens… it was a great team; last year the won the season, they lost the first race, at the beginning of the season but they ended up winning, they were really good.

But the thing that was bothering Paige wasn't just that the other team was good, actually it was the fact that in the other team there was a person that she didn't want to see, and she knew that she was going to, so that made her really nervous.

"Earth to Paige" Liam said waving a hand in front of her sister's face

"Uh" Paige mumbled as she looked at him

"Are you okay?" Cassie asked

"Yeah"

"I was asking if you wanted me to give you a ride, Cassie and I are going to go with my car" Liam said

"Is Caleb coming to?" Paige asked looking at her sister; Cassie took a deep breath and nodded

"Yes, he said that he didn't want to miss your race" Liam said

"And…" Paige started to ask looking mischievously at her sister

"I am a grown up, I can handle to be in a car with my ex" Cassie said clearing her throat

"Whatever" Paige mumbled as she finished her juice, she stood up and smiled "I am going to ride my bike there; I could use some fresh air"

 _One year and three months ago_

Paige was sat at the edge of her pool as she moved her feet inside the water to create waves; she had been there for at least two hours, even if for her it seemed as if she had been there forever. She was sad; more than sad, she was disappointed and hurt, and it was her fault. It was her fault because for some reason she thought that her mother would change for once in her life, at least a bit, but that never happened.

And Paige knew that she couldn't really expect much from her, it was ridiculous since she already was seventeen and was supposed to be over it, but sometimes it was hard.

It was a warm day of August, the third week of the month, and the last week of the swimming camp, in a few days she will be back home getting ready to start classes and getting ready to rejoin her swim team.

The swim camp was a nice opportunity for the girls to improve their swimming and to impress some of the coaches who could talk to some nice colleges in the future; also it was a nice time to meet new people. Paige at first had been a bit reluctant to go; she wasn't so sure if she wanted to be surrounded by strangers for almost two months, but fortunately some of the girls of her swim team went too so she decided to go.

And it hadn't been that bad, she actually had a great time and actually she improved so much that she was like one of the best swimmers there; so in a week, when the camp was over, they were going to have a race, not a serious one, but it was going to be a nice event to show her parents how much they learned.

Obviously, Paige's mom had to work, so that was why she was so disappointed now; Claire always had some excuse, now she had to work so she couldn't go to the race, Paige had been asking her if she could go during the summer, but apparently Claire forgot.

Paige let out a sigh and she was about to stand up finally when she heard a noise coming from behind her. It was a soft noise, like some steps; she turned around and caught a glimpse of a tall figure approaching her.

"Hey stranger" A sensual, husky voice said. Paige felt her cheeks blush softly and looked back at the water when she recognized who it was.

"Hi" she mumbled nervously.

It was Shana… Paige looked at her discretely as the girl asked her for permission to sit there next to her.

"I haven't seen you at lunch" Shana said with concern.

"I wasn't hungry" Paige answered

"That's why you're here all alone?"

Paige gulped when she felt the sudden proximity of the other girl and blinked a few times as she tried to calm herself a bit. This wasn't a new feeling, she had been feeling like this for a few weeks now, she had been feeling nervous and anxious every time Shana was near her since she noticed her during a movie night.

Shana wasn't in her school, she wasn't even from Rosewood, so Paige never saw her before; and she was always surrounded by a crowd of girls, she seemed to be very popular; but that was pretty normal, she was beautiful and was an amazing swimmer. The night they met Paige was involved in a small fight with other girls, she tried to defend a friend from her swim team and before things started to get ugly Shana entered the picture. Ever since that night they had been closer.

"I just wanted to be…"

"Alone?" Shana said interrupting her "You seem to want that pretty often" She said

"I guess" Paige said. Shana brushed her fingers softly over Paige's hand and Paige's breath caught in her throat as she felt the contact.

"You know, you can talk to me if you want" Shana said smiling softly. She made one last movement so their faces were closer.

This had been something she had been doing for the past week; after they met, they had been talking and bonding after practice, or at nights, Shana even switched beds with one of the girls in Paige's room so she could be with her. And the past week she had been being… a little bit closer to Paige… she always had an excuse to touch her, or an excuse to be near her, she was always trying to be with Paige.

It was obvious that they were flirting, and Shana seemed to be really bold and decided, so Paige found her a bit intimidating, even if she liked her… a lot…

"It's nothing" Paige said, she was so distracted with Shana's touch that she couldn't form sentences.

"Still, you can talk to me" Shana said "That's what friends are for"

"Friends?" Paige said as she swallowed a lump in her throat and looked at Shana in the eyes. Shana smiled devilishly and placed a hand on Paige's cheek and started to move her head forward.

"Friends" She said as she closed the small distance between her and Paige and kissed the girl softly.

Paige's heart was racing so fast that she thought that it will jump out of her chest anytime; she placed her hands on Shana's neck as she got lost in the kiss, she didn't know what was going to happen after that, but for the moment she didn't want to be anywhere else.

* * *

 _Present day_

It was half past eight when Emily arrived to the natatorium dressed in her assistant coach uniform, her hair tied up in a ponytail and her stopwatch ready hanging on her neck.

The girls were all in the locker room, waiting for the coach to start her usual speech; usually it was just to give them a few indications so they could go to the water more confident and more prepared.

Emily walked into the locker room and was greeted by some of the girls that were there chatting quietly as they finished changing; the atmosphere was nice, they seemed to be pretty comfortable and there seemed to be no pressure; at least not as much as Emily thought it would be.

She placed her bag in one of the benches and looked around with a smile; she missed that a lot, she missed the water; she missed the nerves before the competition, and the adrenaline… it had been a long time since she swam, at least for competition.

At least now she could help the team, and she felt good about it; Emily was about to sit for a while, as she waited for the coach when she spotted a familiar face sitting on a bench not far from hers.

Paige was sat cross legged on the bench as she listened to some music; in one ear she had the earlobe and with the other she was listening to Sydney, who was rambling about something next to her… as always. It seemed as if everywhere Paige was, Sydney was next, or behind her.

Emily ignored her sudden jealousy thoughts and approached Paige slowly as she thought about what to say to the girl. Paige noticed her when she was a few steps from her and looked at her with widened eyes for a second.

"Hi Paige" Emily said politely, she noticed that Sydney's attention was focused on her now, so she didn't want to seem suspicious.

"Hi Em… Ms. Fields" Paige said mimicking the polite tone. Sydney saw Emily's intentions to talk to Paige and stood up and walked to other group of girls that were talking near them.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked as she sat next to Paige. Paige nodded lightly and smiled

"I am" She said convinced "Really, I am just a bit nervous, but I am good"

"I'm glad to hear that" Emily said "I saw your sister sat on the first row" She commented, on her way to the locker room she walked around the pool for a moment to check if there was people there already, and she saw Paige's siblings there with a bunch of other people that were sat and waiting for the meet to start.

"Yeah, she and Liam helped me this morning with the nerves" Paige said

"My mom is here too" Emily said "She said that she wishes you the best of lucks"

"Thanks" Paige said "I should go and see her"

"She's been asking for you" Emily commented

"I know… I kind of wanted to keep my distance for a while" Paige confessed. Obviously Emily didn't need to ask why; she already knew it, and she felt embarrassed about it. After their kiss, they had been distant and all her encounters or conversations had been beyond awkward so it was pretty normal that Paige was afraid to get close to her, or to visit her mom, Emily used to be at Pam's house pretty often.

"You know you can always call her, if you can't go to the house" Emily said smiling "She cares a lot about you, and she's worried when she doesn't hear from you"

"I know" Paige said "She's like a mother to me"

"Yeah…"

They reminded silent for a moment; Paige looked down and took a deep breath and Emily eyed her discretely from her spot on the bench, they were sitting close but not too close, so their bodies weren't touching. Emily moved her hand a little bit and ghosted a finger over Paige's hand for a brief second.

Paige raised her gaze at the caress and looked at Emily in the eyes for a moment; she didn't saw what she was expecting, she expected to see Emily scared of what she just did or a hint of regret at least, but the woman was looking at her seriously and with decision.

"I know you're going to be good out there" Emily said finally, she moved her hand from atop Paige's quickly and stood up.

"Thanks" Paige said.

The place was crowded; at first when Paige arrived there were only a few people on the rows but now that the race was about to start the place was full and she could here everyone talking, cheering the girls, laughing and even screaming. She liked the sound of the crowd; it was nice to know that people were there to see them and that they enjoyed what they saw. The team walked slowly to their bench to start getting ready as the coaches talked quietly in a corner.

This was the time Paige had been so scared to; she walked next to her teammates and stood by the bench as she eyed the other team. They were taking places too, and Paige couldn't help but feel extremely nervous when she saw a familiar face there.

Shana had been always cynic and arrogant, always with that superior look and those convinced eyes; she never lost her nerves before a race, and if she felt some type of fear or insecurity, she was really good at hiding it.

Paige's gaze landed on her immediately, she stood there like an idiot watching open mouthed as her ex-girlfriend took off her shirt and stood next to the bench in her black swimsuit. Shana seemed to be doing this on purpose, and the moment she made eye contact with Paige… Paige knew. She knew that Shana was aware of her presence and was trying to catch her attention.

They still had a few minutes until the race started and the girls were talking quietly as they waited for the coach to go there with them.

Paige sat at the end of the bench and rubbed her hands as she tried to calm her nerves; she thought that she was over this, but clearly not… or at least not as much as she thought she was, she hadn't seen Shana since the end of the past season, maybe she met her during the summer… in her grandad's cabin… but that was over, she was over her.

"Looking good McCullers" A sensual husky voice said next to her. Paige blinked a few times and sighed deeply before looking at her. Shana was close to her, looking at her defiant and with arrogance.

"Shana" Paige greeted her standing up and trying to keep some safe distance.

"It's been a while since we saw each other" Shana purred as she took a step towards Paige "I was starting to miss you"

"I don't think so" Paige said with a hurt tone. Shana let out a soft laugh and rubbed her forehead

"Anyways" Shana said "Are you ready to lose?" She asked raising an eyebrow and smiling brightly

"Why do you assume that we're going to lose?" Paige asked annoyed as she crossed her eyes over her chest

"You know our team is better honey, plus you race against me… and you know I am always been a faster swimmer"

"We'll have to see that" Paige said getting angry. Shana moved closer, until she was just a few centimeters from Paige, she was playing with her now; she knew how nervous Paige got when someone invaded her personal space and she also knew how to be intimidating.

"We can always have a great time in your cabin, or in my car" Shana said "I would like to celebrate our win"

"Bitch" Paige mumbled as she clenched her fists, Shana was trying to get her nerves and she was succeeding at it, because Paige was now annoyed, mad and furious.

Suddenly and for everyone's sake someone stepped next to Paige and put a hand on Shana's shoulder making her taking a step back.

"You're not a Rosewood shark aren't you?" Emily's serious tone was intense and bitter. Shana looked at her for a second and then crossed her arms over her chest.

"Of course not" She said proudly as she looked at Paige

"Then go back to your team and let the girls alone" Emily said. Paige was looked at her surprised, she never saw Emily getting so serious. Shana raised her hands in surrender and started to walk back to her bench.

"What the hell was that?" Emily asked as she turned around to look at Paige

"Nothing" Paige said a bit ashamed "She was just trying to scare me"

Emily looked at her for a moment and then placed a hand on Paige's shoulder softly. Paige felt her skin tingle furiously at the touch and blushed a bit, but tried to play it cool as she listened to Emily.

"You have no reason to be scared, they're just another swim team, and you're as good as them or probably better, so ignore her" Emily said "Just concentrate in the water"

"Yeah" Paige said more relaxed "Sure"

* * *

Emily stood up near Coach Fulton as the race started; the crow went crazy cheering up and yelling when the first race started; the girls were concentrated, they were all aligned in their places and had stopped every conversation, the most important thing was to focus on the race.

From her spot near the water Emily could observe every move, and everything that happened there; she could see how the girls got ready and how they jumped or exited the pool. She mostly could see Paige as the girl moved her arms nervously and eyed the race as she waited for her turn.

Paige was fast, and had strong arms, so she was usually the last one; she was the one getting always the best times for the team. Emily knew she was going to be good, but Paige seemed really nervous and not so far from her, there was that other girl who was talking to her before; she was looking at Paige from time to time with a devilish look.

Emily wasn't an expert reading people, but she noticed that there was something weird between them; the way the girl was getting closer to Paige, and the way Paige was feeling nervous and intimidating wasn't normal.

The race got interesting by the minute; everyone was concentrated and ready; Fulton lost her nerves finally and started yelling at the girls as always to encourage them and give them some indications. Paige's turn was getting close and the girl seemed a bit agitated, she eyed the water and the girls as she tried to keep calm, Emily was feeling tense just by looking at her; she knew how much pressure she had.

Emily took a few steps until she was near the edge, Paige was already getting ready to jump, she was the next, next to her, that other weird girl was getting ready too with a cocky smile on her face and a confident look. Paige took a deep breath, she put on her googles and before taking her position she noticed Emily's gaze on her; they made eye contact briefly, it was short because she had to jump asap, but still that look made her heart stop and her stomach fill with butterflies; Emily smiled at her sweetly, and it seemed all Paige needed to feel better. Because the moment the girl touched the wall she jumped to the water with decision.

And she completely nailed it; this was the last race, if Paige arrived first they were going to win, and she was so fast that she seemed to be flying.

Everyone outside the water was cheering her up; her teammates were yelling her name at the edge of the pool and Fulton was kind of yelling too. But Paige was ignoring them, maybe it was that she listened to Sydney's and Emily's advice, and that calmed her, or maybe it was that she was just imagining Emily's perfect face as she swam; but she won…

It took a moment for her to realize but when she put her hand on the wall and raised her head from the water she listened everyone yelling and when she saw Shana behind her she knew she had won.

A couple of girls literally dragged her out of the water and after that the whole team was around her hugging her and screaming her name. Paige felt confused at first, but a sudden pleasant sensation ran through her body; this hadn't been the most important race of the season, but it was still important and they had won.

"You did it!" Sydney's voice came from behind her and suddenly she hugged her tightly. Paige barely had time to respond to the hug, since Sydney pulled apart embarrassed but still happy. Paige couldn't believe it; she looked at the other team, the girls were picking up their towels as they looked at them.

Paige eyed them discretely until her eyes met Shana's; the girl wasn't happy, she knew that. Shana always had that harsh look in her eyes whenever she was feeling angry, or mad, and now she definitely didn't seem happy. Paige maintained the eye contact for a moment until she saw Shana walk away and then returned her attention to the team.

"Nice race McCullers" Emily said, she approached Paige now that the rest of the girls had let her some space. Paige smiled brightly as she watched Emily, she didn't know if it was correct to hug her… maybe that was too much…

"Thanks" She said

"I told you, I knew you could do it" Emily said

"I know, and thanks for the support, even though winning this doesn't mean we have the season won" Page commented.

"I know" Emily said, she took a deep breath as she smiled and then adopted a serious tone "That's why we're going to start our training routine" Paige looked at her surprised, she might have forgotten about that "We start on Monday"

"Right" Paige said "What are we going to do first?"

"You'll see, for the moment I'll see you at the Brew at six in the morning" Emily said "Don't be late" She said smiling; she knew that Paige was never late, but she preferred to let it out as a joke. Paige nodded lightly and smiled back at her

"Fine Coach" She said "I'll see you there"

* * *

Nearly forty minutes later Emily was exiting the Coach's office with some files in her hands and a bright smile on her face; she had been really nervous for today, and now that it was finished she was relieved, and she felt really good for Paige, the girl had been so tense lately that this was going to help her at least a little bit.

Emily checked that the lights on the office were off and that the girls were already out of the showers; there were only two girls in the locker room and they were just drying their hair so Emily finally could head home.

"Coach Fields" A familiar voice said as Emily exited the place "I like how it sounds"

"Cassie" Emily said looking at her friend

"I never imagined you as the new team coach" Cassie said happily

"Well, I'm not the coach" Emily said "I'm just the coach assistant, nothing else"

"Still, it's good to see that you can help the girls with the swimming, you were really good at it when we were young"

"We're not old" Emily replied smiling

"No, but we aren't eighteen anymore" Cassie said with a sigh

"True" Emily agreed "What are you doing here? I thought you went home with your sister and with Liam"

"That was the plan, but Liam and Caleb want to take Paige for lunch, some… new tradition they have, I don't know, anyways, I came here to take you for lunch" Cassie said with a smile

"Me?" Emily asked

"Yes, I am flying back to New York on Monday, so I wanted to have a nice day with my best friend before heading back home"

Emily was tired, and had the plan to stay home for the rest of the day probably reading a book or just watching TV; but Cassie's plan didn't sound bad.

"Fine" She said

"Really?"

"Of course" Emily said "Why did you have in mind?"

"Okay I was thinking about going to Philly, I know a new sushi restaurant that is really good, or we could go to a Chinese… what do you prefer?"

"Sushi sounds good" Emily said

"Nice, you read my mind, okay, I have the car in the parking lot" Cassie said, she made a gesture for Emily to follow her.

The parking lot was already empty, there were only a few cars but not that much; everyone was probably at home now. Emily and Cassie walked quietly to the car until suddenly Cassie stopped for a moment and looked at her.

"I forgot my purse" She said worriedly. Emily looked at her and before she could say anything Cassie was already running back inside to grab her things "I'll be back in no time" She yelled as she ran.

Emily walked until she reached the car and rested her back against the door as she waited for her friend to come back; she took out her phone and pretty much just started to watch some pictures from it as she waited. She had been there for a while when she heard a sound.

The sound of rushed steps, and voices startled her up a bit and she placed her phone back in her pocket as she tried to see who was there at the parking lot.

And finally after walking a few steps from the car, she spotted two people walking along the place, and Emily observed them speechless at first.

The first person was Paige obviously, and then, behind her there was that other tall girl that had been stalking her during the meet, the captain of the other team. Emily never asked for her name, but she remembered that face really well; and she was walking with decision behind Paige as she told her something.

Emily observed as Paige walked, she seemed to be worried, and this other girl seemed to be decided to stop her, Paige was headed to the car that was outside the parking lot where her brother was waiting for her, but suddenly she stopped.

The tall girl grabbed Paige by the hand; Emily felt a pang of anger when she saw how close she approached Paige.

"Shana!" Paige annoyed scream arrived to Emily's ears and she was about to ran to save her, but she had to stop herself; she couldn't be everywhere where Paige was, it might seem suspicious, and now that she saw the girls fighting… this seemed to be more like a lovers fight, which made Emily's stomach twist.

"Why are you trying to avoid me Paige?" Shana asked as she released Paige's arm

"Leave me alone!" Paige said. Shana took a step towards her and Paige felt paralyzed, and Emily felt a lump in her throat when she saw what was coming.

"You know you want me Paige" Shana said, she closed the distance between them and kissed Paige hard.

Emily watched the scene for a few seconds and then she just walked away; she couldn't cope with seeing that, it was too much for her… why was that girl kissing Paige?! She couldn't just kiss her; no one could kiss Paige… Emily felt a sudden pain in her heart and the entire situation felt as a punch in the stomach; she couldn't do this, she couldn't just watch Paige with someone else, it was too much for her, and she definitely was not going to stay there and watch how Paige had gotten over her and was now with another girl.

"Here you are!" Cassie appeared next to her waving the purse between her hands "I hope there isn't much traffic today, because I'm starving" She commented as she opened the car. Emily offered her a forced smile and then entered the car as she tried not to think too much about what happened.

But she failed at it, since the image of Paige and that girl was already in her mind, she hated what had happened; because no one else could kiss Paige… no one else but her.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Can't take it anymore

"You know you want me Paige" Shana said with arrogance as she closed the distance between them.

Paige felt a sudden twist in her stomach when she felt Shana's lips on her own; the girl kissed her eagerly and with force, she gripped at Paige's jacket as she tried to pull her closer; but Paige was already fighting to get free from Shana's hold.

The kiss had been hard, and really out of place; Paige wasn't even expecting it, and as the seconds passed she just wanted to slap Shana really hard and ran away as fast as she could.

In other circumstances she would have responded to that kiss; she had done that before; officially she had broken up with Shana on the New Year's party, but they had been seeing each other occasionally over the next couple of months. Paige always thought that she would never be able to get over Shana, mostly because the girl had a really powerful effect on her.

But now she didn't feel anything; Shana was kissing her and Paige just wanted to run away, and it felt good… So finally after a couple of seconds, she managed to break the kiss quickly and pushed Shana with force.

"What the hell?!" Shana said as she eyed Paige with anger

"Fuck you" Paige said back with equal anger and annoyance.

"So now you reject me?" Shana asked

"I told you to leave me alone, and I was being serious" Paige growled as she took a step back

Shana looked at her with anger and annoyance, she wasn't used to be rejected, and Paige never was able to reject her; so now she couldn't just accept what had happened.

Paige in the other side felt really good; for the first time in a long time she realized that she really didn't need to do this anymore, maybe she could get over Shana after all without suffering so much, and that felt amazing.

"You know you'll end up coming back to me" Shana said as she clenched her teeth.

"Not this time" Paige said "I'm tired of you"

"Okay then" Shana took a step forward to Paige and pushed her with force and anger. Paige looked at her startled but managed to keep standing there. "Don't come to me later crying because you feel all alone McCullers" Shana said

She walked away quickly leaving Paige standing there alone; she reminded silent there not knowing what to say, or not knowing what had actually happened; did Shana pushed her? That felt bad, Paige didn't like the idea of the other girl hating her but maybe it was for the best. She couldn't spend the rest of her life chasing Shana and waiting for the other girl to get tired of one of her girls to come back to her. Paige deserved better.

 _12 Years ago_

Emily was in her room lying on her bed as hot tears fell from her eyes; she had been there for the past hours, and she had no intention of moving, it had been a terrible day, one of the worst she ever lived and now she was devastated and didn't know how to fix it.

It seemed as for the past weeks the only thing she and Maya did was to argue; they argued all the time and over the most stupid things, it seemed as if they were starting to grow apart more and more, and that was killing Emily.

And today it had been too much; they were supposed to spend a quiet morning at the lake, with some friends and Maya had to make a jealousy scene in front of their friends, and the most important part was that she had been smoking lately and she didn't even seem like her own.

Emily felt literally like shit; she had cried so much that her head was starting to hurt a lot, and she wasn't feeling well anymore; she loved Maya, and she didn't want to break up with her. But she hated to feel so bad, and to feel so stupid every time they fought.

After coming back from the lake she didn't even stopped to talk to her mom, she just ran to her room and locked herself inside, as she cried and cried until now.

"Emily" Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts and startled her a bit at first. Emily sat up on her bed and looked at the closed door.

"Emmy, someone's here to see you" Pam said

"Go away!" Emily yelled angrily "I don't want to see anyone"

"Emily Fields, watch that tone with me" Pam said "And I think you might want to see this person, she's been waiting for you for the past fifteen minutes"

"If that's Cassie you can tell her to go to hell, I don't want to talk" Emily said in annoyance. Now that she thought about it, Cassie was today with her boyfriend Noel in his cabin so…

"It's Paige" Pam said "Cassie's sister, she says that she wants to talk to you"

Emily sighed deeply; she sighed and rubbed her eyes hard as she thought about the situation, she really didn't want to talk to anyone; she was in desperate need of being alone all day, but she couldn't reject Paige, that little girl was always so happy and so amazed to see her that she couldn't just say no to her…

"Okay, wait… wait a moment" Emily said.

She stood up quickly and walked to the small bathroom she had in her room. She splashed some water in her face, to cover her tears and to wash the redness of her eyes, and then she changed as fast as she could into more comfortable clothes since she never changed when she arrived.

"I'm done" She announced a few minutes later. She heard her mom talking in a polite tone to someone and then the door opened slowly.

Paige stepped inside of the room slowly and a bit ashamed; she didn't understand the whole situation but she just heard Emily scream to her mom, and that couldn't be good…

"Hi" She muttered softly as she walked to Emily's bed. Emily sniffed a bit and rubbed her eyes tried to hide the fact that she had been crying.

"Hey Paige" She said as she eyed the girl. Paige sat on the bed and let out a deep breath "Is everything okay?" She asked as she saw the little girl's disappointed expression.

She knew that today Claire was staying home, which meant that probably she and Paige were going to argue or that in some way Paige was going to end up upset, so maybe the girl was there for that reason.

"Why were you crying?" Paige asked softly as she kneeled on the bed next to Emily. Emily looked down for a moment and shook her head faking a smile.

"I wasn't crying" She said quickly as she thought of a way to change the subject.

Suddenly she felt Paige's hands on her cheeks and the girl's face closer to hers as she eyed Emily's expression with sadness.

"Your eyes are red" Paige said "And you have your cheeks cold and a bit wet"

"It's nothing Paige, I'm fine" Emily said trying to move.

"You okay Emmy?" Paige asked in concern, she sat on the girl's lap in one movement and caressed Emily's cheek as her sister used to do with her many times.

"Yeah Paige, I am fine, don't worry"

Emily felt a lump in her chest when she felt the little girls arms around her neck with force but with tenderness; she felt her heart melt when Paige kissed her cheek softly and hugged her tightly and lovingly.

"You shouldn't cry Em" Paige said sadly as she continued the hug.

Emily felt overwhelmed with the situation, she didn't want to admit this, but what Paige did just do was what she needed right now; and that was why she returned the hug with force and started to sob into the girl's shoulder quietly.

Paige heard Emily cry softly and felt scared at first; she wasn't used to hear adults cry, but somehow she felt as if Emily needed it, she never saw her friend so sad and so devastated and she wanted to take her pain away.

After a couple of minutes Emily's sobs turned into soft sighs, until she finally stopped crying. She reminded silent as she hugged Paige, who was still sat on her legs and they stayed like that for a while.

"Thank you" Emily said finally as she pulled apart a bit to see the girl's face

"For what?" Paige asked confused. Emily smiled softly and kissed her forehead with love and tenderness

"For being here now" She said smiling sincerely.

"I wanted to see you" Paige said "You didn't come to see me yesterday" Paige said with sadness "I thought you forgot about me"

"Oh, of course not sweetheart" Emily said "I didn't forget; it's just that yesterday I had a lot of things to do and I couldn't go to see you"

"It's okay" Paige said.

Emily lifted her in her arms for a moment and then placed her on the bed. Paige stood up there so she could be a bit taller and have a better view of Emily's face as they talked.

"In fact, now that you're here… why don't we watch a movie and hang out for the rest of the day?" Emily asked. A big smile crossed Paige's face as she thought about the idea "My mom can make us something nice to eat"

"Yay! I want chocolate!" Paige said happily as she smiled

"Okay then, I'll tell her" Emily said. Paige stood there looking at her and Emily felt a lot of love for her in that moment, it was as if no one could make her feel as good as Paige; even if Paige was only six years now… almost seven as she used to correct everyone; but still no one else could make Emily feel better than her…

Emily leant forward a bit and deposited a soft kiss on Paige's cheek, the kiss landed really close to the girl's mouth, and Paige blushed immediately when she saw Emily pulling back; she smiled after that and then jumped into Emily's arms.

"I'll pick the movie" She yelled as she hugged Emily tightly

"Alright…"

* * *

 _Present day_

It was Monday morning, the alarm clock beeped as usually signaling the time to wake up, and Emily slammed her hand against it with annoyance. She was tired; and hangover, the first thing she noticed when she sat on her bed to get ready was the massive head ache she had, and then she noticed that the room seemed to be spinning as she moved…

She rubbed her forehead and exhaled deeply as she tried to stand up slowly; it had been a long night, and she had drunk a lot. Actually she didn't even remember going back home last night; she just remembered the pub, and the music… she remembered at some point of the night a stripper's number, and Cassie encouraging her to approach some girls.

Finally up from the bed Emily walked to the kitchen not paying attention to the mess that was her house; the room was full of clothes everywhere and the living room was a mess of clothes empty bottles, empty pizza boxes and some papers.

She poured some water into a glass and swallowed a pill; she stood by her counter and looked around the living room in silence. There on the couch, was Cassie completely sprawled, wearing some of Emily's clothes to sleep and hugging a pillow as she snored softly.

Emily placed a glass on the table next to the couch and sat on the armchair as she thought how to wake Cassie up. Finally she didn't have to do anything since the girl started to stir.

"Holy crap" Cassie mumbled as she sat on the couch and rubbed her temples

"Good morning" Emily said

"Don't yell"

"I'm not yelling" Cassie looked at Emily and then looked around the living room.

"What the hell happened last night?" She asked

"We went out, as your goodbye party" Emily said "And we got carried away"

"I just remember drinking a lot… and that hot teacher that was with you" She said

"Ezra?" Emily asked

"Yeah, do you think he liked me?" Cassie asked

"Cassie… you leave today, what does it matter?" Emily asked in a low voice

"Right… but he is hot"

"Okay"

Cassie stood up and stretched out as she yawned; she was tired and really hangover too, and knowing that she had to fly today to New York didn't help.

"I guess I'll have to go now" She said "I have to say goodbye to my family"

"I thought they were going to go to the airport with you" Emily said confused

"My dad and Liam are; but Paige has to be in school and she's been avoiding me these past days so, I want to say goodbye to her properly"

"She's been avoiding you?" Emily asked

"Yeah, you know, she wants to pretend as if she's not affected by it too much so she's been trying to act like she doesn't care that I'm leaving"

"She always wants to seem stronger" Emily said in a whisper as she smiled

"Yes, that's my sister, always trying to be stronger but we all know that she's the biggest softy ever"

"She's going to be really sad now that you're leaving" Emily commented as she stood up to pick up the glasses.

"I know, and that's why I am a bit worried"

"Why?"

"Look Em" Cassie said, she followed Emily to the kitchen and they stood there in silence for a moment; despite the hangover Cassandra was being serious now "Paige is really fragile at the moment; I know she doesn't seem like she's suffering, but she is, my mom is pushing her too much, and she has her own pressure as well… I am really worried"

"Claire is really hard to her lately" Emily said, she knew that Paige was really tense and that she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders.

"I know, she loves her but she just never shows it. And Paige is so stubborn that she keeps pushing back, so things between them aren't good now, plus I don't know why but I think she's acting weird"

"Weird?" Emily asked a bit startled, for some reason she felt as if what was going to come now was related to what happened between her and Paige.

"Yes, I don't know why, I just know it, she's acting weird as if she was hiding something from me, it's like Paige is hiding something… I don't know"

"Maybe she's just stressed" Emily said

"Yeah, but she doesn't act like that, I mean she doesn't eat too much, and she avoids to talk about some things… I think that she might like someone" Cassie concluded as she crossed her arms over her chest

"What?"

"Yeah, don't ask me who, or how I know, but I know, and I can't find out too much because I am leaving"

"Well, maybe it's just some teenage thing, maybe it will pass soon"

"I want you to promise me something" Cassie said

"What?"

"Promise me that you're going to take care of her"

"Cassie…"

"Emily, you know how vulnerable Paige really is and how easy her heart breaks…" Cassie said, Emily didn't know that reminder, she knew well how Paige was, and she knew very well how the girl's heart broke… she broke her heart the last time they kissed there, in that very spot where Cassie was standing now "I want you to take care of her, because I don't want her near some psycho girl or some weird girl okay?"

"I will…" Emily said

"Good, because I really don't want my little sister get hurt this time" Cassie said with sadness "And I know that you love her as much as I do, so I trust you with her" She added. Emily felt a pang of guilt at these words; Cassie trusted her… and she just kissed Paige as if it was nothing and then she played full with her… what a way to protect her.

"I won't anything bad happen to her" Emily said with decision, she was not ready to talk to Paige about what happened, but she was ready to protect her, and to not let anyone else hurt her.

* * *

The air of the morning was cold, it was pretty obvious now that winter was coming; Paige walked down the street with her hands tucked in the pockets of her jacket and her gaze fixed on her feet.

She was supposed to meet Emily at six o'clock, at the Brew, and she was a bit late… she felt a bit bad now but her alarm never sounded, and she got up a bit after half past five and realized that she had to be with Emily in less than half an hour so she jumped off the bed and rushed to change and get ready.

Paige stopped finally when she arrived at the Brew, and she felt her knees weaken when she saw Emily standing there, in tight sweatpants and a black hoodie that hugged her curves so perfectly…

"Morning" Emily said offering a big smile as she saw Paige approaching. Paige smiled back and approached her

"Hi" She said with a half sleepy voice

"Someone is still asleep" Emily said as a joke as she eyed Paige

"I'm just a bit tired" Paige said

"You can always go upstairs and sleep with your sister" Emily suggested "She's still on my couch"

"My sister is in your house?" Paige asked confused; she knew that Cassie was going out yesterday with Emily, but she didn't know that she stayed the night in her apartment.

"Yeah, we arrived a bit late so she stayed with me… in my couch" Emily said

"Oh…"

"Okay" Emily said breaking the small uncomfortable silence. She knew that she had to face Paige; she had been preparing herself for this moment, the moment where she had to see Paige after seeing her kissing that girl at the parking lot on Saturday. That felt like a punch in the stomach and now that she was in front of Paige it still felt bad… but she couldn't just ask for an explanation, Paige didn't owe her one, they weren't a couple, they were just teacher and student, nothing more.

"So, today we're just going to take our time, I don't want to rush this too much so… I suggest a normal pace, and half an hour of running, and then we can risk the next ten minutes to run a bit faster and then a quick walk for the rest of the time"

"Why don't we just run?" Paige asked

"Because this is not a normal run, the thing with this is to gain some resistance and in order to get that we need to take our time" Emily said

They became aware of their sudden proximity and Paige took a step back to put some distance; she looked down a bit embarrassed and waited for Emily to say something. Emily in the other hand was having trouble to concentrate; she knew that she needed to focus, but the thing was that she didn't trust herself alone with Paige, so they had to start as soon as possible.

"Are you going to be able to run for an hour?" Paige asked. The question dragged them both from their thoughts and cleared the air a bit.

"Are you calling me old McCullers?" Emily asked as she raised an eyebrow. Paige eyed her with a playful look and shook her head

"Me? No, of course not" She said

"Okay, I'll show you how to do this properly" Emily said as she stretched her limbs a bit before starting to get ready.

"Okay then, we'll talk at the end of the race" Paige said and with that she started running.

"This is not a race…" When Emily finished her sentence Paige was already running and Emily was still standing there "Paige! Damn it…" She said as she let out a laugh.

Race or not, it ended up being funny; Emily had to do an extra effort since she was a bit out of shape, but she had no problem with the times and with the pace; and Paige obviously who had a lot of energy showed her impressive times while running.

* * *

They ran for nearly an hour, their start point was the Brew and they were supposed to finish there; but for some reason when they were a few streets from there Paige felt a cramp in her left tight and fell to the floor.

Emily who was a few meters from her didn't realize that until she turned around and saw her on the ground.

"Paige!" She yelled as she ran back to her.

Paige was sat on the floor, with her hands on her tight as she rubbed the skin there over the sweats; Emily stood next to her with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, she kneeled for a moment in front of Paige and then stood up again to check the time on her phone.

"It's a cramp" Paige said "I think I did way to much effort for the first time"

"I told you to go slow" Emily said "You should've listened to me"

"All the first times are supposed to be slow" Paige said smiling a bit "Fuck" She said after a second "It hurts"

"Let me see" Emily asked as she tried to kneel in front of Paige. She tripped with Paige's feet and ended up falling on her butt. Paige let out a laugh as she saw Emily there; and Emily couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"Does it hurt if I touch you there?" Emily asked as she placed her hand on the top of Paige's thigh. Emily thanked that the girl was wearing sweatpants because she didn't know if she could control herself if she get to touch Paige's soft skin.

"Yes" Paige answered. Emily let her hand linger at the top of Paige's tight and they both made eye contact for a moment.

"And there?" Emily asked moving her hand to a lower spot. Paige frowned a bit when she felt Emily's hand making pressure, she felt a bit of pain.

"Yeah" She said. And then Emily moved her hand lower; more concretely to a spot on Paige's inner thigh, they both reminded silent. Emily's hand, made Paige's spine tingle with force as she felt the touch, and Emily felt a sudden sensation in her stomach.

"And there?" Emily asked in a low voice as she let her thumb caress the skin over the pants.

"No" Paige mumbled as she looked at Emily in the eyes.

Their faces were suddenly really close, and it was as if they both knew what was going to happen; for a moment they leant slowly until their noses barely touched, but suddenly something clicked in Emily's mind, and she moved away trying to put some distance between them; she retired her hand from her spot on Paige's leg and stood up quickly clearing her throat.

"You should put some hot water on it, or maybe ask for a massage" Emily said

"I guess"

"You probably need more warming up before running" Emily said

"Oh… how much?" Paige asked

"You did warm up before run right?" Emily asked

"Uh… no"

"Paige!"

"What?"

"How could you start running without warming up, it's dangerous" Emily said

"Sorry, I forgot"

"Yeah, and now you have a cramp"

"I know… I'll do it tomorrow" Paige said; Emily looked at her with a raised eyebrow "I promise" She insisted

"Okay; it's kind of late now" Emily commented checking the time "We should go back home if we want to get in time for class"

"Yeah" Paige agreed "I guess I'll see you in class…"

* * *

Paige knew that something was wrong the moment she saw that Emily was kind of avoiding her in school. At first it was just the sensation; she felt as if the woman was avoiding her, but it could be that she was just distracted…

But as the hours passed Paige realized that it was true, that she wasn't imagining it; Emily was clearly trying to avoid her.

She knew it because every time Emily spotted her, she walked past her, or pretended to not see her; she even walked faster one time to avoid seeing her. And at the cafeteria it was the same.

Paige knew that Emily was looking at her; she saw her a couple of times. Emily was talking to Ms. Hastings but she was looking directly at her, and Paige felt a bit uncomfortable at first but every time she tried to make eye contact Emily looked away.

Maybe that had something to do with what had happened before; maybe Emily was running away again? Paige remembered very well the night they kissed, she was never able to forget it, and now it seemed like it was happening the same. Emily had touched her before, they were about to kiss, Paige knew it, and now Emily was acting as if nothing had happened; and Paige was sick of it; she didn't want to be the mistake anymore…

When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch time, Paige stood up and walked slowly to her locker to get her history books. Aria and Sydney walked next to her as they chatted quietly but Paige didn't pay attention to them. She was so focused in Emily that she didn't even bother to listen to the conversation.

Sydney walked to her English class and Aria waited for Paige as she grabbed her books; when she closed the door of her locker she saw Emily walk past them. The woman looked at her for a brief second and then looked straight to the hallway. And Paige felt a pang of anger and annoyance in her body.

And as she expected, Emily's attitude didn't change during class; she stood there as she talked and she didn't look at Paige during the whole class; she explained some things and read some articles, she asked some students, but never payed attention to Paige; and that was starting to enervate her.

"Okay, that's all for today" Emily said after the final bell sounded. It had been a long day, and everyone stood up quickly and started to pick up everything.

Emily stood behind her desk picking up some papers and placing them on her bag. Paige stood on her place watching her as she took a quick decision.

"Hey" Aria said next to her "Earth to Paige"

"What?" Paige asked

"Seriously?" Aria asked annoyed "I was asking you of you were free today, to have a study date" She asked again. Paige directed her gaze discretely to Emily; she had a plan… actually it was a stupid plan, and it might go really wrong, but she had to do it.

"Uh, I have something to do today" She said apologetically. Aria nodded and then shrugged her shoulders

"Tomorrow maybe?" She asked

"Yeah, definitely, I'll call you later" Paige said.

She had gone slow picking up her things on purpose, and now she observed Aria exit the class next to the rest of students that left in that moment. It seemed as if finally there were only Emily and her now. And she was terrified…

Emily raised her head and saw that Paige was standing next to her table as she grabbed her bag; and she felt a lump in her throat. That lump grew bigger and bigger when she saw Paige walking to her with a decided expression. She stood right in front of Emily, just a few steps from her and stayed there in silence for a moment.

"Paige" Emily said in an insecure tone. She placed her hand on the desk and swallowed hard.

"I want to talk" Paige said finally trying to seem secure and decided; the truth was that she was trembling, but she couldn't let Emily know that.

"About what?" Emily asked trying to play fool.

"You know what" Paige said. Emily sighed deeply and took a step back until she was safe behind the desk. She looked at Paige defiant for a second and then looked down.

"There's nothing to talk about" She said as she tried to not seem so nervous.

"That's what you said the last time" Paige said in a bitter tone

"And it's still true"

"Bullshit!" Paige said annoyed

"What?"

"Emily… why are you so reluctant to talk to me?" Paige asked hurt. Emily swallowed and looked down as she tried hard not to cry.

"Paige, listen to me; there is nothing to talk about"

"You're lying" Paige said

"You do realize that this is wrong right?" Emily asked "You want to talk? Okay let's talk. Paige, you are my student, do you realize that? I am your teacher, not only that I am your sister's best friend"

"That's irrelevant" Paige said

"The fact that it's illegal to maintain a relationship with a student it's irrelevant?" Emily asked

"No one has to know"

"Paige…" Emily said rubbing her temples "I could go to jail"

"I'm not underage!" Paige said with anger

"No, but you're still my student, and I could lose my job, and I need this job!" Emily said "And let's not talk about how much older than you I am Paige…"

"The age is not a problem, ten years is not…"

"Ten years is a lot Paige" Emily said. She was at the verge of tears, she had her arms crossed over her chest in defense and was now trying to not start crying.

"So that's it" Paige said "You just ignore what you feel because of this"

"There is a lot Paige, this is wrong" Emily repeated "And I shouldn't be talking about this with you" She finished. Paige looked at her with a hurt look; she fought her tears as she looked at Emily in the eyes.

"Okay then… I guess I am just a mistake right?" Paige asked now with tears in her eyes. Emily felt her heart ache at the sight, and she felt her own eyes watering.

Paige started to walk to the door; now she felt devastated, she didn't understand Emily; one moment she was so sweet to her and the other she was so cruel… she opened the door to exit the class when Emily's hand stopped her

"Paige wait" She said

"What? Emily… are you going to tell me that you feel bad for me and that we could be friends?" Paige asked

"No… it's not that"

"I can't be your friend Emily!" Paige said " Not anymore, not after all what's been happening between us"

"I know" Emily said

"You try to deny it, but you can't deny that something has changed between us…"

"I know Paige" Emily said with a trembling voice "But you know as well as me that it's wrong"

"Stop saying that" Paige said. A tear fell from her eyes and she wiped it quickly; she now realized that Emily was crying as well "This might be wrong, but you can't deny that you don't feel something for me"

"We can't" Emily repeated as she wiped her tears. Paige looked at her with anger, and sadness and took a big sigh before talking again.

"Then look at me in the eyes and tell me that you don't feel anything" Paige said "Just tell me that you don't feel anything for me, and I'll leave you alone"

Emily felt those words like a knife in her heart; why everything got so complicated? Things were much easier when they were younger, and there were no feelings involved, at least not these kinds of feelings. Paige swallowed a lump in her throat as she waited; she was growing impatient and Emily was having trouble to talk. Finally she looked at Paige in the eyes and with all the pain in her heart she tried to speak.

"I don't feel anything" She said.

Paige bite the inside of her lip with force and then nodded; she couldn't believe that this was happening and that Emily was being so coward; she could understand her, but at the same time she wanted her so much and she knew that Emily wanted her back that she didn't know why it had to be so complicated.

"I don't believe you" Paige said bitterly as she took a step back and started to walk away.

Emily looked at her for a few seconds, her breathing was accelerated, and her heart was racing faster than ever; she hated Paige so much now, she hated her because despite of knowing that it was wrong, she just wanted her so much… So in two large steps, she closed the distance between them, grabbed Paige by the arm, and in the moment Paige turned around she pinned her against the lockers with force and crushed their lips together.

The kiss was fast, and desperate; it was as if they just needed it so much that it hurt; moans of pleasure and want came out of their mouths as they continued their assault to each other lips.

Paige's mind was clouded in that moment with all the passion; Emily's lips were eager, and so soft at the same time that it was mind blowing; Emily's hands found their way around Paige's neck and she hugged the girl tightly as she felt Paige's hand wrapped around her waist as they continued the kiss.

With the seconds it got heated up; Emily's tongue passed Paige's lips and found it's mate, their tongues touched softly at first and then they just started to kiss hungrily as if there was their last day on the earth.

"I can't take it anymore" Emily said as she broke the kiss for a moment to breathe. Paige rested her forehead against hers for a second and then kissed her one more time; but this time a bit slowly; she hugged Emily closer to her body, she needed to feel her, to feel every part of her body against hers; she needed to feel her in that kiss, and then she heard Emily moaning in the kiss, as it turned into soft pecks and small bites…

"God…" Paige said as they pulled apart finally. Emily buried her face in the crook of her neck and they reminded like that for a while as they tried to catch their breaths.

"Someone could see us here" Emily said as she finally managed to breathe and to pull apart. Paige looked at both sides of the hallway and nodded, they were lucky no one was there now, but that could change if the janitor appeared.

They walked in silence to the exit; Emily's head was spinning now, she was so full of doubts and so full of desire too… it was a weird mix that was now settled in her head.

"What are we going to do now?" Paige asked once they were outside. Emily looked at her with confusion and shook her head

"I don't know… I can take you home" She offered. Paige looked at her incredulously as she followed her, how could Emily be so calm after what happened?

"I didn't know you had a car" She said trying to not seem so annoyed about the situation.

"I don't, your sister rented it, and have to return it in a few days" Emily said

"So you take me home and that's it… we just forget about what happened as the last time" Paige said. Emily glared at her and then rubbed her forehead; she wasn't in the mood to argue now.

"I think we need time to think Paige, so now please let me take you home" Emily said

Paige jumped in the car and reminded silent for the first part of the ride; Emily was focused on the street, and all Paige wanted right now was to know what she was thinking.

"I don't want you to shut me out again" Paige said not looking at Emily. Emily sighed deeply.

"Paige… I think we need some air and…"

"Stop the car" Paige said

"What?" Emily asked

"STOP THE FUCKING CAR" Paige yelled. Emily looked at her startled and pulled over at the side of the street. Paige exited the car with anger and started to walk

"Paige!" Emily called her as she walked behind her

"What? What Emily? Are you seriously going to tell me again that this is wrong? That it was a fucking mistake?"

"No… please just listen to me" Emily pleaded

"Emily, I am not a kid anymore, I am not even underage, this might be wrong but shutting me out again is no going to change anything!" Paige said

"I know! That's what I was trying to say" Emily said "If you just listen to me for one second" Paige closed her mouth and crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to her.

"I was saying that I think that we might need some air and to think about things… but also I was going to say that I am tired of pretending" She said "I'm tired of hiding my feelings… and I am tired to hide the fact that I want to be with you" She finished with tears in her eyes.

Paige looked at her open mouthed, she was totally speechless now; she was prepared to fight Emily if it was necessary, she was ready to start an argument but not this…

Emily took a step towards her and placed her hand in Paige's cheek and stroked the skin there softly for a second as she placed a soft kiss on the girl's lips

"But please don't walk away" Emily pleaded "Don't leave me…"

Paige nodded and took Emily's hand between hers, they walked in silence to the car again and once they were sat inside, when Emily was getting ready to start the engine, Paige literally jumped on her and straddled the woman's legs.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked startled as she placed her hands on Paige's waist

"Stop talking" Paige said as she leant closer and trapped her lips with her own in a sensual slow kiss.

It seemed as if they had a lot of hours of kissing to make up to; Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and gave herself into that kiss as she allowed Emily' tongue to explore her mouth… it felt so amazing and so incredible… they were finally kissing, and Paige couldn't believe that they were in that position. Emily could feel everything of Paige, she could feel the heat emanating from her core as they kissed and she felt her own heat growing between her legs; but she had to ignore it.

* * *

They lost the count of time, they were so lost in each other that they didn't even bother to check the time, Paige nipped Emily's earlobe softly earning a moan from the woman, then she moved to kiss the spot behind her ear and her jawline, Emily just let her hands roam over Paige's back as she let the girl kiss her with passion.

They enjoyed every single second of it; and as the minutes passed the heat in her bodies started to grow, and finally they had to pull apart before they did something they might regret later.

"I think we should stop" Emily said. Paige kissed her once again with passion and force not letting her talk

"Yeah we should" She said a moment later. She pulled apart for a moment and then Emily trapped her lips one more time

"I should take you home" Emily mumbled as she kissed Paige's neck softly. Paige let out a loud moan as she felt Emily's lips make contact with the sensitive spot on her neck

"I don't want to go back home" Paige said.

"I know, and I am not going to take you to your house" Emily said softly as she kissed Paige's cheek with tenderness and love

"What?" Paige asked confused

"You're coming home with me" Emily said kissing Paige's nose "We have a lot to talk about"

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Rules

The room was bathed with the few soft sunrays that entered through the window; the atmosphere was calm and a bit hot, the place was mostly silent, the only sound audible there was the sound of soft moans and sweet exchange of kisses that came from the couch.

Emily was sat on her couch, with Paige on top of her straddling her legs as they kissed with passion and lust. They had been there for hours, it had passed so many time that the sun was starting to hide now and they were still there kissing.

The truth was that none of them wanted to stop it; it seemed as if they had been wanting this for so long that now it was hard to believe. Emily couldn't count how many times she had wanted to kiss Paige; to grab her and press her against the wall or just pull her closer to her and just kiss her with all she had; and now she was doing it…

And it felt amazing… Paige's lips were soft, and so inviting; and they tasted sweet and nice, it was a flavor Emily couldn't describe, but that she wanted to keep tasting forever.

And of course Paige was lost in all the kisses too, she couldn't believe that after all this time she was kissing Emily again, and this time she wasn't pushing her away. The last time they kissed it had been amazing too, but it ended up being a nightmare, Emily told her that it was a mistake and that broke Paige in pieces… how could something that felt so good be a mistake?

Emily tightened her grip on Paige's waist and pulled her a bit closer to her body as she continued the assault on the girl's lips. Paige opened her mouth allowing Emily's tongue to move freely and let out a soft growl when she felt her core pressed against Emily. The contact sent sparkles to her brain and Emily moaned back into her mouth as she felt Paige; the girl just felt so good…

Paige nipped the skin on Emily's jawline playfully and gave her earlobe a soft bite making Emily jump of pleasure; Emily returned her the kisses on the neck making Paige moan and squirm. She let her hands roam with freedom over Paige's back, at first she was content with just touch the girl over her clothes, but as the seconds passed and things got heated; Emily felt the need to touch more, to feel more skin, so she slid her hands under Paige's shirt caressing the soft flesh on Paige's back.

Paige let her hands roam too, and she ran them along Emily's sides carefully not to touch anything else that was on her way, she wanted to touch the girl, but she wanted to be respectful too, even though that the idea of cupping Emily's perfect breasts in her hands was really, really tempting and she had dreamt with that for a long time… she didn't want to take things too far now; for the moment they were just kissing, and Paige loved it.

Emily was feeling something really similar to Paige; she couldn't avoid but think about Paige's perfect body and the fact that she wanted to run her hands over every single centimeter of it, but she didn't want to scare the girl, and somehow she felt a bit scared too…

She had known Paige since forever, she had tons of memories of her as a child; as a cute child and now she had her on top of her kissing her as she touched her skin wishing for more; that felt weird, but still her mind was so clouded with desire that it was complicated to think.

"Paige" She mumbled as she managed to break the kiss for a second.

"Mmm" Paige mumbled quickly as she joined their lips again in an intense kiss and wrapped her arms tightly around Emily's neck.

Emily finally took a quick bold decision and lowered her hands until she was literally cupping Paige's butt over her pants. Paige broke the kiss for a second to let out a moan against Emily's mouth as she felt Emily touching her, and Emily closed her eyes harder in pleasure as she felt Paige. She was reaching the point of no return, the point where she was so clouded that she just forgot about everything and let her body speak for her; and even if now the idea was so tempting, and so amazing, she couldn't do that… she wasn't ready, not yet.

"Paige" She said again, she retired her hands from Paige's butt and placed them again on the girl's sides.

"What?" Paige asked as she continued the kissing

"I think we should stop" Emily said finally not pulling apart yet. Paige bite Emily's lower lip softly and kissed her one more time before descending with soft pecks along Emily's neck.

"You said that a while ago" She whispered, Emily leant her head back a bit to give Paige better access to her neck and then she moaned loudly as she felt the girl's lips on her throat.

"I know, but now I'm being serious" Emily managed to say. She placed a hand on Paige's chest to make her pull apart a bit and then she looked at her in the eyes

"I don't want to stop" Paige said. Emily looked at her, her swollen lips were staring at her asking to be kissed again… but Emily knew that she should stop, because she didn't want to rush anything between them; she couldn't ruin her long friendship with Paige.

"Me neither" Emily recognized, she let Paige lean forward and trap her lips once again in a slow kiss; Paige moaned softly against her mouth as she got ready to start another hot, long make out session with her. But Emily made the effort to pull apart this time more seriously.

"I don't know what is happening to me" Paige said as she rested her forehead against Emily's "I just want to keep kissing you" She said. Emily smiled softly and caressed Paige's cheek with love.

"Me too" She said in a whisper "But we need to be careful"

"Why?" Paige asked. Emily raised an eyebrow trying to point out the obvious; Paige seemed to understand and smiled mischievously.

"I like to kiss you so much… but I think we should talk before we can start doing… other things" Emily said. Paige nodded in understanding and let out a sigh. Emily was right, and if they kept kissing like that they were going to end up doing something that they might regret later; Paige wanted Emily so much that it hurt, but she wasn't ready to give herself to her, she needed time, especially after the way Shana treated her in bed…

"Okay" Paige said finally, she released her hold on Emily's neck and sat next to her on the couch. Emily missed immediately having Paige in such an intimate position, but it was better this way "Let's talk"

"Okay" Emily agreed

"Where do we start?" Paige asked, Emily looked at her a bit confused for a moment, she never actually thought about what to say, she knew that they had to talk but not exactly about what.

"I don't know" She mumbled as she thought "I guess I should start with an apologize"

"For what?" Paige asked. Emily sighed and looked down, she took Paige's hand between hers and then looked at her in the eyes.

"For the way I treated you the first time we… kissed" Emily said "I was scared and confused and I just thought that the best way was to ignore all those feelings"

"And now?" Paige asked. Emily took a deep breath as she thought about her answer.

"I'm still scared" She confessed "This is not so easy for me…"

 _1 year ago_

Emily was sat on the couch, a blanket on her shoulders and a mug of coffee between her hands as she looked at the floor with some tears in her eyes. She had been there for at least an hour now, and she needed to calm down, she couldn't cope now with a new anxiety attack.

"How are you feeling?" A soft caring voice asked next to her. It was her best friend, Hanna.

Hanna was a nice girl, she was the type of person that was always smiling and that always had something nice to say, she was a natural optimist, and she had been there for Emily ever since they met at college; they were studying different things but they had one class together and they were roommates for the first year, until Emily found an apartment to live with Maya. Even though Emily went to live out of the campus they stayed in touch and managed to be good friends ever since. Hanna was there for her when Maya cancelled the wedding with Emily and then she helped her to move on.

"I can't believe this is happening to me" Emily said with a weak voice as she fought back her tears. Hanna sighed and nodded in understanding; she placed her hand atop Emily's and squeezed it gently.

"I know Em, but now we have to do something" She said as she eyed Emily

"I need to leave" Emily said with decision

"What? Emily, I know you're scared, and that you are confused but we need to go to the police… we can't just move on from this as if nothing happened"

"I have to leave California" Emily said with tears in her eyes

"And where are you going to go? Emily you can't just leave… you should think about this better"

"Hanna, I can't stay here anymore" Emily said, she placed the mug of coffee on the table and turned to face Hanna "Ever since I got here, bad things are happening to me… first was Maya and now… this, you don't understand, I can't stay here anymore, I can't be scared every single day waiting for the next bad thing to happen"

"I understand" Hanna whispered as she looked down

"My friend, Ezra, told me that there's an empty place in Rosewood High"

"That's your old town isn't it?" Hanna asked

"Yeah, I guess it's time to go back home" Emily said, Hanna's lip quivered a bit as she thought about the idea of her friend leaving; she had lived so many things with Emily and the idea of losing her hurt too much.

"I guess I can't do anything to make you stay Hanna said softly; Emily shook her head and offered a warm smile as she wiped her tears.

"I'm so sorry" Emily said between sobs "But right now it's the best thing to do"

"I know" Hanna said "Just promise me that you're going to call me every week, and that you're going to be okay there"

"I will" Emily answered

"And let's hope that you can find happiness finally there"

"I don't know"

"Who knows Em, maybe you can find real love finally" Hanna said with a dreamy look. Emily eyed her for a second and then sighed

"I don't think so Han… for the moment I guess the best thing will be to be alone" Emily concluded with a sad tone. Hanna nodded softly and offered a small smile; Emily was broke into pieces now, she was devastated and at the verge of a new anxiety attack, but she had to help her; because her friend was right, she had to leave as soon as possible.

* * *

 _Present day_

"This is not so easy for me…" Emily said with sadness and a bit of guilt. Paige examined her for a second before swallowing and opening her mouth to talk again after a moment of silence.

"What do you want to do?" Paige asked confused, she knew that Emily was dueling, she didn't know why, or what was the reason but she knew that Emily was troubled, and Paige didn't know if she was ready for a rejection; not this time.

"Paige" Emily started, she moved a bit so she was facing the girl; she ran her hands over her hair and sighed "Let's just be honest for a second… I want to be with you" She said sincerely. Paige looked at her openmouthed but didn't dare say a word.

"I have wasted a lot of time trying to avoid you and trying to forget you, to pretend that nothing happened, and it had been completely useless, because every time I tried to forget you I just couldn't" She made a small pause and smiled at Paige gently "And I am tired to fight my feelings"

"I have tried to avoid you too" Paige admitted

"How did that go?" Emily asked

"Terrible, you're pretty hard to forget Ms. Fields" Paige said jokingly as she smiled. They laughed a moment and then Emily's expression turned serious, Paige's smile died in her face as she felt suddenly Emily's hand on her cheek stroking her skin gently with her thumb.

"I know that this is wrong… and that we're going to get in real trouble if someone finds out about this, but I don't want to fight anymore against this" Emily said with decision "I'm done fighting" Paige smiled softly and looked down for a moment, she felt her eyes watering at Emily's words, and she decided to do something.

Paige leant forward and trapped Emily's lips between her own in a sweet, loving kiss; it didn't last too much, they needed to cool down if they wanted to talk, so after a couple of seconds they pulled apart and looked at each other.

"We need rules" Paige said

"Yes"

"But… how many?" Paige asked after a second of thinking. Emily bite the inside of her lip and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Okay, first of all and most important, no one can see us in public together" Emily said

"But you're my teacher… and you're training with me, someone has to see us" Paige commented

"I know, but other than that, we have to be careful, lots of people here knows that we were friends in the past and all that stuff but we can be too affectionate in public or be too close" Emily said "Paige this is serious, I want this but if someone finds out about us I am going to lose my job"

"I know Emily" Paige said "This is not a joke for me okay? I know we have to be careful and we will"

"Okay" Emily said more relaxed now

"Just…" Paige started, she closed her eyes for one second and then she shook her head

"What?" Emily asked confused

"It's nothing" Paige said

"Really?" Paige looked at Emily with her big brown eyes full of concern, Emily smiled at her and stroked her cheek again softly.

"Just promise me that you're not going to change your mind tomorrow" She said in a low voice

"Paige…"

"It's just that I barely can't believe what is happening right now and somehow I feel like I am living a dream and that this is going to end soon" Paige confessed

"That's not going to happen" Emily said "Paige look at me" She commanded as she placed a hand under Paige's cheek to make her look up "I am not going to change my mind with this, I'm sorry that you feel so insecure about us now, I know that it's my fault, but I was being serious before; I want to be with you… it might be weird since you're so much younger and since I haven't felt like this in a while, but believe me when I'm say that I am not going to change my mind about you"

Paige nodded and wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek; Emily offered a warm smile and before she could say something else Paige was jumping on her to hug her tightly; this time they didn't kiss, Paige just wrapped her arms around Emily's back and buried her face on the crook of the woman's neck breathing in her scent as she felt Emily's arms around her too in a tight hug. They needed it… and they spent a few minutes like that without saying a word.

After a while of silence and just enjoying each other's presence, they readjusted their positions on the couch, Paige rested her head on Emily's chest as Emily drew some random patterns on the girl's back making her skin tingle. They had been there for a while and in order to calm down a bit and to not start kissing again Emily decided to just put a movie on and relax as she felt Paige close to her.

It was amazing how calm she was feeling now; even though she knew that she was going to need time to think, and time to worry a bit later, now having Paige like that with her, so close, and so relaxed made her heart melt and even if they had a huge problem it seemed completely irrelevant.

They didn't say a word for the time the movie lasted, Emily didn't to say anything, and Paige was so content being there under Emily's embrace that she preferred to be in silence, other than that, being so close to Emily's breasts was making her feel a bit nervous so she opted for playing it cool and remind calmed.

Nearly an hour had passed when the first movie ended; Emily stirred a bit and looked at the clock, it was a bit late now, but she didn't want Paige to go, at least not yet. Paige yawned quietly and stirred too.

"Are you tired?" Emily asked as she looked down at Paige.

"Just a bit" Paige said as she sat and rubbed her eyes

"I could…"

"No" Paige cut in before Emily could finish the sentence "I don't want to go back home… yet, please"

"Okay" Emily said smiling "There is another movie starting in a few minutes" She suggested "We could make some popcorn and watch it"

Paige thought about it, she was a bit tired, that was true, but she wanted to spend time with Emily so badly that she was more than ready to watch a hundred movies if that meant be with her.

"I like the idea" Paige said happily.

Emily stood up and walked into the kitchen, Paige walked behind her quietly and watched as she grabbed the popcorn and put it in the microwave.

"Are you hungry?" Emily asked

"Kind of" Paige said, Emily approached one of the cupboards and opened it

"I'm starving" She said as she grabbed a box of pasta. "What do you say?" She said as she waved the box in front of Paige's face. Paige considered it for a moment and then nodded, after all she was hungry.

They started cooking in silence, Emily gave Paige some indications to prepare the tomato sauce and then she put the pasta in the boiling water.

"Okay, this will be ready in a few minutes" Emily announced as she checked the temperature. Paige was leaned against the counter as she watched her; Emily had been giving her some advices of how to cook the pasta better, but Paige had been so engrossed looking at Emily, more concretely at Emily's butt that she hadn't pay attention to anything. When Emily turned around she saw Paige's face of concentration and saw that her gaze was focused in other places; Paige blushed immediately and looked down.

"Sorry…" She mumbled as she fidgeted with her hands nervously

"At least I hope that you liked what you saw" Emily said as she laughed. Paige blushed even more, she felt her ears redden and her cheeks burning. Emily couldn't believe how cute she looked all blushed and embarrassed and couldn't help but take a step toward her and kiss her nose lovingly.

"It's okay though" Emily said "I don't mind"

"Really?" Paige asked. They were just starting with all this, the 'being together' thing was really new and she didn't know what she was supposed to do, because even if she wanted Emily so bad, she felt a bit embarrassed about certain things around her, and being caught fantasizing about Emily's butt was not the best start

"I don't want you to be embarrassed around me" Emily said sweetly as she placed a lock of hair behind Paige's ear.

Paige was aware of their proximity, she was still leant against the counter and Emily was now pressed against her softly. She tried to control her hormones but the moment she saw Emily's face closer to hers she couldn't avoid it and she went for a kiss.

Emily opened her mouth as soon as she felt Paige's lips on hers, she wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and allowed her to explore her mouth with her tongue; she was enjoying this a little too much, she loved to have Paige so close to her giving her full attention and kissing her like that, as if there was nothing else on the earth.

Paige was starting to feel heat again as she ran her hand along Emily's sides, she placed her hands on the small of her back and caressed the soft skin there as she literally devoured Emily's mouth with passion.

As the seconds passed the kiss heated up more and more and Paige started to become aware of the sudden pain between her legs, and the need for something more was starting to be too much for her. And Emily seemed to be thinking the same, because she intensified the force of the kiss until they were both literally fighting for dominance in the kiss.

Finally Paige moved from her spot and pressed Emily against the counter as she lowered one hand to her ass and placed the other in the back of the woman's neck to pull her closer. Emily let out a throaty moan, she could feel Paige's hunger in that kiss, she could feel a lot of desire and that turned her on in a way she couldn't describe; her butt touched the counter and she moved to sit on it for better support.

Paige stepped quickly between Emily's legs and moaned too at the realization of their position; Emily placed both hands on the girl's shoulders as she kissed her hard and deeply and wrapped her legs around Paige as she tugged on her shirt…

Then she realized that they shouldn't be doing that, she realized that they were supposed to talk only and she broke the kiss as soon as she found the courage. Paige pulled apart as well, her eyes still closed and her breathing fast and labored; Emily looked into her eyes for a seconds and saw pure lust, she thought that it was really sexy, but really dangerous as well, at least for the moment, so she kissed Paige's forehead and jumped off the counter and fixed her clothes.

"Rule number two" She said as she recovered her breath. Paige looked at her with a raised eyebrow waiting for her to finish the sentence "We have to be careful for the moment"

"Careful" Paige repeated with embarrassment

"I think we should go slowly" Emily said "You know… I don't want us to rush into something…"

Paige felt really shy right now, and she knew that she was blushed profusely, talking about this felt a bit uncomfortable, they weren't talking directly about sex, but Emily was implying it, and the mere thought about having sex with Emily made Paige's brain twist and her insides explode with butterflies, she never thought about her in that way, or at least if she thought about it, she knew that Emily was out of her league completely, and now… there they were.

"Okay" Paige said in agreement "Rule number two, go slow"

"Yes" Emily said "I think it's for the best"

"Yeah" Paige agreed. It took a moment for her to cool down; her mind was crowded with arousal and she needed a moment to take a deep breath and relax. Emily took a few steps away from Paige allowing a bit of air to run between them and they relaxed.

"I think this is done" She announced as she checked the pasta.

* * *

They spent a nice time after that; they both were aware now that things could get too heated if they allowed them to, so they put some distance to be safe, that distance only consisted in kiss less passionate and not touch too much.

Emily knew that she was acting now like a hormonal teenager; she had let her emotions overwhelm her a bit and she felt embarrassed for it, she was supposed to be an adult here. But the thing was that it had been a long time since she had been intimate with someone, it had been a long while since the last time that Emily felt loved and wanted and now that she was with Paige, who expressed her desire and her want in every single kiss… Emily couldn't control herself.

They watched the movie in silence, talking occasionally as they had dinner. Finally they ended up in the same position as before, with Paige cuddled up against Emily.

Emily couldn't help but burry her face in Paige's hair to breath in her sweet scent and place chaste kisses on the top of the girl's head as she enjoyed the time.

"I had a really nice time" Paige said once the movie was finished and they had finished cleaning the table. They sat on the couch again looking at each other.

"Me too" Emily said smiling

"I think I have another rule" Paige commented shyly

"What?"

"We should have some sort of schedule or something" Paige suggested

"A schedule? For what?"

"You know… to see each other" Paige said "I mean, we can't spend every single day together, and I can come here to your house… but not every day, or at least not during the day" Paige said

"Okay…" Emily mumbled "So rule number three, be careful with visits?" She asked

"Yeah, I mean… I can come here at nights, you know most of the times my parents are working so, I could come here and see you"

"Fine, but you have to be careful" Emily said

"I know, no one can see me"

"And sometimes I have people here, you know… Ezra or Spencer, so rule number four, always send me a text before coming over" Emily said

"Noted… now that you mention it" Paige said in a low voice "It would be nice to have your number"

Emily smiled, and looked at Paige who was a bit blushed and looking down to her hands; she took her phone from her pocket and waited for Emily to say her number.

"It's a nice way to ask a girl's number" Emily said playfully, she enjoyed to see how easily Paige blushed or got nervous.

"Thanks" Paige said "I have nice moves with the girls" She said cockily

"You should show me the moves" Emily said raising an eyebrow and smiling

"Maybe someday" Paige said teasingly. Emily laughed and then they both reminded silent. Paige lied back on the couch and sighed

"I really don't want to go back home" She whispered, she knew that it was late, and that she had to go home soon if she wanted to get some sleep for tomorrow. Emily eyed her from her spot on the couch and sighed deeply, she actually didn't want Paige to go, she wanted to spend more time with her, and she wanted to kiss her and to hug her…

"You don't have too" Emily suggested with a shy tone. Paige sat again and looked at her surprised

"Really?" She asked confused

"Yeah, you could sleep here" Emily said. A sincere smile crossed Paige's face, she had wanted to ask that for a while now but she didn't dare, so it was great that Emily suggested it. Emily stood up from the couch and Paige followed her to the room.

"I can let you some sweats and a shirt to sleep with, and yeah, you can spend the night here" Emily said happily.

"Nice" Paige said; Emily looked into her drawers and grabbed a pair of gray sweats and a white tank top, then she handed it to Paige.

"I'll go change in the bathroom" Paige said; Emily saw her walking outside of the room and got ready for bed too, she put on her pajama pants and a black shirt and then went to the kitchen to drink some water before going to bed. She was still there when Paige appeared behind her and stood there looking at her.

"You're ready" Emily said

"Yes, thanks for the clothes by the way" Paige said "They're comfortable"

Emily approached her slowly and kissed her on the cheek with tenderness as she checked her out with the clothes.

"I'm glad that they fit you" She said as she started to walk back to the room. Paige stood in the kitchen with a small lump in her throat as she saw Emily leaving. Emily noticed that she was still standing there and turned around to face her.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked

"What?" Paige said, Emily raised an eyebrow and Paige finally understood the situation "Oh… I thought…"

"That you were going to sleep on the couch?" Emily asked with a smile. Paige nodded gently and rubbed the back of her neck.

"To be honest… that was the plan" Emily said approaching Paige

"What changed?" Paige asked. Emily looked at her with a sincere smile and then placed her hands on the girl's waist pulling her closer to her body, until they were pressed together.

"That day… the day we kissed, you slept on the couch" Emily said with sadness in her voice "I felt terrible for rejecting you but at the same time I have to fought myself to not go back to you and kiss you again… you have no idea how much I wanted hug you, and to have you closer, I could hear you cry, and that was devastating"

"I have to say that I wanted to go to your room and slap you or kiss you… or something" Paige said

"Slap me?" Emily asked

"Yeah… sorry"

"It's okay, I deserved it" Emily said. "Anyways, now I think we can change the plan"

"I like that, you're couch is uncomfortable as hell by the way" Paige commented

"I know" Emily said laughing. She placed a soft kiss on Paige's lips and grabbed her hand "Don't worry McCullers, you're sleeping with me tonight"

Paige froze on her place at the words, she gulped audibly and smiled stupidly as she blushed a bit; Emily noticed it and let out a loud laugh as she smacked the girl's shoulder playfully.

"Don't think about that!" She said "We're just going to sleep"

"I knew that" Paige said as they walked back to the room

A few seconds later they were lying on the bed as closer to each other as they could; Paige looked into Emily's eyes as if she was asking for permission to kiss her and this time it was Emily the one starting the kiss; she moved closer to Paige and placed her hand on the girl's back as she pressed her lips harder to her. Paige closed her eyes and allowed Emily to run her tongue over her lower lip asking for entrance, then Emily rolled a bit so she was half atop Paige and placed her hands securely on the girl's shoulders not wanting to start something heated; she just wanted to keep kissing Paige for a while, and she wanted to enjoy the moment.

Paige responded to the kiss happily as she caressed Emily's waist with her hands, she smiled into the kiss when she felt Emily biting her bottom lip playfully and moaned when she felt the woman's lips on her earlobe.

"I don't know what we're going to do tomorrow in class" Paige said between small moans as Emily kissed and nipped her neck.

"I know" Emily said "It's going to be hard"

"Just promise me that you're not going to wear the black skirt" Paige said "The tight one"

"What?" Emily asked confused

"It's really short; I am not going to be able to concentrate if you wear that"

"Checking out the teacher Paige?" Emily asked jokingly

"Maybe"

"Okay" Emily said as she kissed Paige one last time "No tight skirts"

She lied next to Paige not putting much distance between them; after all she wanted to be close to her and feel her.

"It's late" Emily said finally "We should sleep"

"We can keep setting rules tomorrow" Paige said

"Yeah, we should… the skirt thing was a rule?" Emily asked

"Totally"

"So rule number four, no tight skirts"

"Fine" Paige said smiling

"No tight skirts for me, and no tight tank tops for you" Emily said

"Seriously?" Paige asked

"Of course, they're distracting"

"Okay" Paige said "I won't wear them"

Emily laughed a bit and then rolled on her side facing Paige, she caressed the girl's arm softly and smiled at her gently.

"Goodnight Paige" She whispered, she was starting to feel her eyelids heavy. Paige kissed her cheek gently and lied back again still facing Emily

"Goodnight"

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Emily cracked an eye open at the sound of the alarm, she let out a deep sigh and turned around a bit to turn it off with her free arm; somehow she was feeling a bit trapped now, trapped and disoriented.

She hadn't slept so good in a long time, she felt relaxed, comfortable and really well rested. Maybe the fact that she had cleared her feelings for Paige had something to do with it; or maybe it was the fact that the girl was now cuddled up against her giving Emily a nice warm feeling.

Paige was lying on her side, pressed against Emily, who had an arm wrapped around Paige protectively pulling her closer to her body. The felling of their bodies so close made Emily's brain sparkle and her stomach fill with butterflies.

Emily checked the time once again and decided to give Paige a few more minutes to sleep, after all she looked so peaceful there that Emily just wanted to observe her and be there with her for a while. Emily rested her head back on the pillow and approached her face to Paige until she had her face buried in the crook of the girl's neck softly; she nuzzled Paige's skin and placed a soft gentle kiss there as she slid her hand carefully under her shirt.

Emily rested her hand on Paige's stomach and caressed the soft flesh there revealing in how soft Paige was, this obviously made Paige let out a soft mewling noise and stir a little but she didn't wake up. Emily smiled against her neck and moved her hand once again. She obviously wanted to move her hand further and touch more skin, she had wanted to do that from a long time, but she let the hand there securely not wanting to start something she knew she couldn't finish.

It seemed like a dream; having Paige so close, being so close once again… Paige's body was warm against hers and even if they were fully clothed and half asleep, there was something intimate about their position.

Emily couldn't believe what had happened the day before, she couldn't believe that she finally kissed Paige; she couldn't believe that the girl had been so bold to confront her finally, she slid her hand out of Paige's shirt and took a moment to look at her.

The girl was so beautiful… she observed every inch of her body now that Paige was still and quiet, she looked so peaceful. Emily smiled softly and then as she looked at Paige her smile disappeared and a concerned expression appeared instead.

The truth was that she wasn't a hundred percent sure about this, she had kissed Paige and it had been really amazing, Emily could say that she felt something really genuine about the girl, but she couldn't deny that she was doing something wrong.

Very deep in her soul she knew that what she was doing was really wrong; she sighed deeply and let out a sad smile as she remembered some of her memories with Paige in the past; they had always had a nice relationship, a really solid one, Emily really loved her… but she never imagined that she would end up loving her this way… Paige was ten years younger than her and Emily couldn't just ignore that, she tried to see a positive side of the things but it was complicated. Paige was her student, which was problem number one, but the thing that really was troubling Emily was the age…

She was twenty eight, she was close to her thirties and her life was still a fucking mess, Emily closed her eyes repressing some tears and inhaled deeply, her life was completely upside down right now, she was broken, and completely lost, and she wasn't sure if Paige deserved someone like her… maybe Paige needed to see that she needed someone of her age, someone young and with a promising future ahead.

 _12 years ago_

Paige was sat on her bed as a she coughed roughly and cried, her head was pounding and her stomach hurt really badly; next to her, her sister was rubbing her back gently as she waited for Paige to finish and placed a bucket in front of her just in case.

Cassie had been there with her all day, since her mom and her dad were working, Paige woke up that morning feeling incredibly bad, she had been vomiting and having head ache and her fever was really high right now. Cassie was worried, she had called her mom and Claire gave her some indications about what to do.

After the cough attack, there was a small silence, Cassie looked at Paige, who looked as if she was going to pass out.

"Are you okay?" She asked in concern. Paige didn't respond, she shook her head and then grabbed the bucket with both hands and buried her face in it as she threw up roughly. Cassie felt her own stomach twist at the sound of Paige vomiting and she looked to the wall trying to ignore her sister for a moment.

"I want mom" Paige said as she took a deep breath; Cassie grabbed a tissue and cleaned Paige's face a bit and then kissed the top of her sister's head.

"I'm sorry little booger but, mom is at work today" She said. Paige frowned a bit and then her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears.

Cassie hated to see her sister so sad and so sick, and she hated how her mom always had an excuse to be out of the house, she didn't understand what Claire's problem with Paige was, but this wasn't the first time that her mom wasn't there when Paige needed it… Cassie offered a warm smile and helped Paige lie on the bed again; she wrapped the sheets around her sister's body and lied next to her for a moment.

"Are you feeling a bit better?" Cassie asked, Paige shrugged her shoulders and coughed

"I guess" She said.

There was a short silence broken up by the sound of the bell ringing a few times. Paige frowned in confusion and looked at her sister who was standing up to go and check who was at the door.

"Don't go" Paige pleaded as she saw her sister walking to the door of her room. Cassie turned around and smiled

"I'll be back, I'm going to open the door" She said.

Paige nodded and buried her face on the pillow as she covered her body with the blankets. Cassie ran all the way downstairs and rushed to open the door. She already knew who it was, and she was waiting patiently, because she needed some help to take care of her sister.

Emily stepped inside of the house and Cassie hugged her tightly as if they hadn't seen each other in decades.

"I'm so glad that you're here" She said. Emily looked at her with a raised eyebrow and nodded

"You seemed really worried over the phone before, I came here as soon as possible" Emily said. "What happened? I didn't see you at school today" She added as they walked inside the house.

"I know… it's Paige" Cassie said

"What happened?"

"She's really sick" Cassie commented "She's been throwing up all day and she has fever"

"Poor thing…" Emily said "Did you take her to the hospital?"

"My parents are doctors" Cassie said "My mom told me what to do, and I have to go buy some medicines, but I can't leave her alone here"

"Oh" Emily said in realization "That's why you called me"

"I hope you don't mind. She can't be alone, and I don't know who else to call" Cassie said

"I don't mind at all, I can stay here with her while you go out" Emily said smiling gently, of course she didn't mind staying with Paige, she would do anything for her.

"Thank you, thank you" Cassie said as she kissed Emily's cheek "I'll go right now"

"Okay"

"There's a bucket next to the bed in case she needs to throw up again, she can't eat anything solid, and if she asks for water don't let her drink too much too quick" Cassie explained

"Okay" Emily repeated

"And check if her fever is still high, and don't let her go out of the bed for anything in the world"

"Cassie, you're going to be out just for half an hour or even less… don't worry, your sister is going to be fine" Emily said

"Right… right, okay then" Cassie said "I'll be back"

Emily stood there, next to the stairs as she watched Cassie leave the house. Once the door was closed and she was left alone there, she sighed and started to go upstairs quickly; she could hear some coughing and someone crying softly. Emily walked to Paige's room and opened the door and stepped inside.

Paige was lying on her bed, with a hand covering her mouth as she coughed and her eyes red and puffy from crying; she looked really bad actually. Emily looked at her and then walked to the side of the bed.

"Hi little one" She said as she sat next to her. Paige sniffed and wiped her tears as she looked at Emily.

"Emily" She said smiling a bit. Emily offered her a warm smile and reached out her hand to caress Paige's face gently; she put some strands of sweaty hair out of Paige's face and frowned in concern when she noticed the unusual hot temperature on the girl's skin.

"Gosh… you're burning up" She mumbled as she eyed Paige.

Paige looked at her through red half opened eyes, her lip quivered a bit and she nodded. Emily observed her and understood that what she just said was something that probably Paige already knew, and now while Cassie was outside getting the medicines she might help the little girl rather than point out the obvious and make her feel worse.

Emily stood up quickly and walked to the bathroom in a few rushed steps; Paige propped herself on her elbows to look at her curiously as Emily moved around. A few minutes later she came back to Paige's room carrying a small wet towel in her hands.

She sat once again next to Paige and smiled gently as she placed the towel on the girl's forehead; Paige shivered a bit at the contact but stood still as she felt Emily's hands on her face and felt the cold of the towel.

"It's cold" She whispered as she looked at Emily

"This will help a bit" Emily said, Paige smiled weakly and coughed a bit.

"Where's Cassie?" Paige asked as she eyed around the room, she saw her sister running downstairs to get the door but she never saw her coming back.

"She went to buy you some medicines" Emily answered "She'll be back in no time"

Paige took one of Emily's hands between hers and squeezed it gently and pleadingly, Emily looked at her sadly, Paige looked so small in that bed… so sick.

"Don't go" She mumbled, Emily looked at her in the eyes and saw fear; she knew that maybe it was just the flu, or just a cold, but she could see the fear in that little six year old child, and she felt something inside of her. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm not going anywhere" She said seriously. She took off her shoes and moved to the other side of the bed, Paige observed as Emily slid the jacket off her shoulders and crawled next to her on the bed covering both of them with the sheets. "I'm going to stay here with you until Cassie comes back okay?" She said as she kissed Paige's temple.

"Okay"

Emily placed her arm around the girl's body in a protective embrace and allowed Paige to rest her head on her chest and cuddle against her; she smiled as she felt Paige's tiny hand on hers and when she heard the soft, steady breathing indicating that Paige was asleep. Emily felt incredibly content just knowing that she was fine in her arms.

* * *

 _Present day_

Emily's mind came back to earth when she felt some movement beside her; she stopped her memories and her inner thoughts and put her attention back on her bed; where Paige had started to stir.

She felt the girl's body move slightly and she noticed the change of breathing; also she felt Paige's hand caressing hers and she smiled, it was kind of a sad smile, but genuine at the same time, even if her doubts were assaulting her and were clouding her mind, she couldn't deny how happy she was.

Paige stretched her body a bit and Emily pressed a gentle kiss on her neck, getting goosebumps all along Paige's neck and back; she let out a soft moan and turned around in Emily's arms to face her. They reminded silent for a few seconds, Paige reached out her hand and placed it on Emily's cheek and stroked the skin gentle with her thumb. A soft smile crossed her face as she observed Emily, and she felt a warm feeling inside, but at the same time she saw the sad look in Emily's face, and her smile disappeared.

"What's wrong?" She asked with a husky voice. Emily broke their eye contact for a moment and sighed, Paige furrowed her eyebrows in concern as she watched this.

"It's nothing" Emily said "Really"

She tried to fake a more sincere smile to try and convince Paige; this wasn't the way she wanted to wake up next to her for the first time, but Emily couldn't avoid what she was feeling. But obviously Paige knew that something was happening, she reminded silent for a second thinking of what to say but the moment she opened her mouth to speak, Emily rolled on her back and stood up.

"We have to get ready if we don't want to be late" She said as she started to walk around the room to look for some clothes.

Paige sat on the bed as she rubbed her temples and eyed Emily; what was happening? Yesterday everything was so beautiful and so like a dream and now Emily was panicking? Obviously Paige understood that everything that was happening was a lot to process, they literally jumped on each other yesterday and everything changed in one day, so it was difficult and she knew that Emily might need some time to process it… but it felt weird

It felt weird to not know what Emily was thinking and if she was regretting what happened or not.

She got up finally, Emily who was facing her closet as she picked up her shirt looked at her discretely as Paige gathered her clothes; for a second they stayed in silence as they looked at each other; Paige finally exited the room and walked to the bathroom silently to change.

Once there, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath, this felt frustrating, and a bit painful, Emily had said that she wasn't going to regret anything today; maybe she lied to her… maybe Emily just wanted her to kiss and now she just wanted to ignore everything that happened.

Paige knew that this was her mind talking, and that she shouldn't be making any conclusions before talking to Emily. She changed quickly, trying to not think too much and trying to stay calm, to not panic and to not feel bad.

Emily in the other hand finished changing a few moments after Paige entered the bathroom; she observed her empty room and sighed deeply as she walked to the kitchen, she felt bad, really bad; Paige was feeling weird now and it was her damn fault; she shouldn't make Paige think that she was regretting this, because Emily wasn't.

The feelings inside her heart were strong, but still it was a lot, and that amount of new feelings was causing her brain to collapse, Emily wasn't used to feel like this, it had been a while, and somehow she felt as if she didn't deserved it; the feeling of happiness she felt the moment she woke up and saw Paige there in her arms was so overwhelming that now she couldn't avoid to think that something there was wrong…

But she couldn't take this out to Paige, she couldn't let her deal with something that was entirely hers, Paige should be happy, and not worried about anything.

She walked to the kitchen to make something quick for breakfast and waited for Paige to leave the bathroom. Paige as expected opened the door silently a few seconds later and walked to the kitchen where Emily was waiting for her offering a small smile as she held a bowl of cereal between her hands.

"I thought you might be hungry" She said; Paige grabbed the bowl and went to sat at the table not making eye contact with Emily who looked at her sad and knowing that she should do something to fix this.

Finally after a moment of watching Paige eat silent, Emily walked to the table, grabbed one of the chairs to sit as close to Paige as possible and sat there trying to look at her.

"Paige" She said in a soft whisper. Paige swallowed the cereal and wiped her mouth with a napkin not paying attention to Emily.

"Paige" Emily said again; since Paige didn't make any sign of looking at her, Emily placed her hand on the girl's chin and made her look at her finally "Please don't look away" She said softly as she tried to keep calm. Paige took a deep breath and placed the bowl on the table.

"I was not the one looking away before" Paige said with a sharp tone. Emily gulped at the words, they definitely felt like a punch in the face, but Paige was totally right, maybe that was the reason why it hurt so much.

"I know" Emily said, Paige clenched her teeth and breathed out

"Emily…"

"No" Emily said cutting her before she could speak further "Absolutely, not I am not going to let you think that I am regretting this okay?" She said

Paige looked at her in the eyes for a moment and then her gaze descended when Emily's hand found hers; she looked at this and her lip quivered for a brief second.

"You said that…"

"That I wasn't going to regret anything" Emily finished for her "And I don't"

Paige looked at her finally and raised an eyebrow questioningly, she didn't understand, but she wanted to believe Emily.

"That's not what it seems" Paige said, Emily nodded lightly and stroked Paige's cheek softly

"I want to be with you, I haven't changed my mind about what I told you last night" Emily said, her tone definitely sounded convincing "But…"

"But?" Paige asked

"Look Paige, there's… something, some _things_ … about me, that…" Emily's words died in the air as she looked for a way to finish her sentence, Paige looked at her with a mix of worry and expectation; it took a second for her to continue

"What?" Paige asked finally trying not to seem impatient

"This is not easy for me" Emily said finally "And what happened last night was amazing, and I loved every second of it, but I'm afraid that we rush this"

"So you basically are trying to say that you're afraid of us rushing this" Paige said

"Yeah" Emily nodded "I don't want to hurt you, and I definitely don't want us ending up bad… you know, I don't want to lose what we already had years ago"

"Em, you don't have to worry about that" Paige said "Because I am not interested in rushing anything either… and just so you know, what we had years ago already changed the moment we kissed the first time"

"I guess so" Emily said. They looked at each other for a moment and a soft smile appeared in their faces.

Emily leaned closer to Paige and placed a soft kiss on the girl's lips; after a second she pulled back but Paige followed her until she crushed their lips together again this time for a bit longer. Emily moaned in protest but did nothing to end the kiss; she wrapped her arms around Paige's neck and allowed her to kiss her with controlled passion.

Obviously they did nothing to deepen the kiss, and a few moments later they pulled apart without a word. Paige knew that Emily was still doubtful, and that she might need some time to think, so when she left the apartment to go home and grab her books she decided that think about her new relationship with Emily was only going to cause her more doubts and was not going to do any good, so she decided to try to focus on school and let her emotions parked away for the rest of the day.

* * *

Today's schedule was simple, she had to meet Aria at her house to go walk together, and then to start the day she had a nice math class. Paige went home quickly and changed her clothes, she had enough time for that and she didn't want anyone asking her why she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, so she put on some jeans, a jersey and left her house pedaling her bike as fast as she could to get to Aria's house in time.

Aria as always was waiting for her outside, already dressed and eating the last part of a sandwich as she waited for Paige. She was taking the last bite when she spotted Paige approaching her with the bike.

"You're late" She said to a mouthful of food as she looked at Paige seriously

"Sorry, I overslept" Paige said as an answer, she wasn't going to say anything about her spending the night at Emily's

"Four minutes late" Aria said as she grabbed her bag, that was resting at her feet

"Excuse me majesty, I did not know that you were timing me up" Paige said sarcastically as she jumped off her bike and started to walk next to Aria

"Really funny" Aria said "You're never late; actually you're disgustingly very punctual"

"I didn't hear the alarm" Paige said trying to hide her nervousness.

"You didn't hear the alarm… you have to go home alone… you can't hang out, what's with you lately?" Aria asked, Paige looked at her feet as they walked quickly and thought about what to say. Aria noted how long it took for her to find an answer and stopped on her tracks to face her for a second

"Look" She said "Paige, if there is something going on you can tell me you know that right?"

"I know" Paige said "But there's nothing going on, really, next time you can come home and wake me up on time" She said making a cocky smile.

"Not funny McCullers" Aria said "I'm being serious"

"Me too" Paige responded smiling.

Paige knew that at some point she'll have to tell someone about Emily, and her best option was Aria, she was the only person that she could really trust, but she couldn't tell her now, not today, not yet. Emily needed time to think, and she needed time as well, and telling someone about them was going to ruin everything so for the moment Aria couldn't know.

They arrived to school a while later and walked through the hallways to get to their lockers, the bell rang signaling the start of the classes and everyone started to get ready to go to the classrooms. Aria and Paige walked quickly to their lockers to grab theirs stuff and when they were finishing at Paige's locker they were met by someone kind of unexpected.

"Hi" Paige didn't need to turn around to recognize that voice, Aria did it first and found Sydney standing right behind them, holding her math book close to her chest as she smiled brightly.

"Hi Sydney" Aria said as she faked a smile, it wasn't a secret for her what was the real reason why Sydney was there now, and more important than that it was no secret who was Sydney really saying hi.

"Hi Paige" Sydney said again. Paige let out a deep breath and turned around closing the locker first.

"Hey" She said

"Did you manage to do all the exercises for today?" Sydney asked as she ignored Aria and moved to walk next to Paige.

"Uh, yeah" Paige said, she looked at Aria and Aria laughed silently as she made a heart with her hands at the sight, she obviously was aware that Sydney liked Paige; and Paige was starting to be aware of that…

"Maybe we could sit together" Sydney suggested "It would be nice to…"

"No way" Aria cut in "Paige is sitting next to me, as always, I need her to check if my exercises are okay"

Sydney clenched her jaw visibly and frowned, but after that she smiled immediately as she tried not to seem upset, she wrapped her hands around Paige's arm and walked next to them until they stopped in front of the classroom.

The door was closed and the rest of the students were waiting as well outside, apparently the teacher was coming now. Sydney took this opportunity to be as close to Paige as possible and didn't release her arm, Aria stood next to Paige as well and looked at the scene as she hide her smile.

Paige sighed in frustration and looked around to see any signs of the teacher; and she saw one, but it was not her math teacher. Emily was standing a few classes from them, she was talking to Ms. Hastings, who seemed to be upset about something. Paige observed her and took a moment to let her gaze roam all over Emily's body until Emily looked in her direction and made eye contact with her.

Obviously Paige noted the disappointment in Emily's face, and then she noted that Emily was no longer looking at her but Sydney; the girl had still her arms around Paige's arm and had her head resting on her shoulder as she talked about something Paige wasn't listening too.

Emily kept looking at them for a moment, until the math teacher finally arrived and opened the door; Paige moved quickly putting some distance between her and Sydney and then she looked apologetically at Emily as she entered the classroom.

* * *

"Earth to Emily" Spencer said as she clapped her hands in front of Emily's face to get her attention again.

Emily cleared her throat and blinked a few times as she tried to forget the image she just saw, the last thing she needed today was to see a random cute girl all clingy with her… her what?

"Sorry, what were you saying?" She said as she rejected all the thoughts in her head and gave her attention back to Spencer. Spencer rubbed her temples in frustration and sighed deeply.

"Oh, nothing important" She said sarcastically "I was just telling you that I had the worst date ever, and that I argued with Toby and that I don't know if we're going to talk again, but… I guess you had something more important to think about"

Emily looked at Spencer as the woman entered the teacher's room, she seemed offended, but Emily knew that it was just because she was sad, and upset, so she was projecting her frustration in Emily.

"I'm sorry Spencer, but I don't have more important things to think about" Emily said

"Everything was going well" Spencer started once she saw that Emily was paying attention, she looked up dramatically and sighed "Until we started to talk about our jobs and about the future…"

"That sucks…" Emily said trying to be emphatic. Spencer looked at her and nodded

"We're different people… and sometimes it's nice, but sometimes can be a real disaster"

"I know, and I guess your particular way to see the life and to treat people has nothing to do with this right?" Emily asked

"He says I'm a work-addict" Spencer said "And that I talk to much about things that he doesn't understand"

"Then why don't you try to talk about things he likes too?" Emily said simply. Spencer rolled her eyes

"It's not so easy, I don't like sports, I hate sports, he loves them, I can't talk about that" Spencer commented

"Well, you can talk about a lot of things Spence, life is not just chemistry and sports"

Spencer nodded in agreement but reminded serious and silent for a few seconds, Emily stood next to her as she waited for her to think about things.

"Have you ever had the feeling that you're so different to the other person that it can actually set you apart?" Spencer asked "Like… that differences can actually hurt you both and that is pointless to try and ignore it?"

Emily swallowed a sudden lump in her throat and looked down, she didn't like this conversation anymore, Spencer didn't know what she just say, but the words hit Emily hard, like a stab in the heart; precisely, one of the things that were stuck in her mind and that didn't let her be relaxed was all the differences between her and Paige… She wanted to walk out of the room, she wanted to say, 'yes I feel like that too all the time, and that's because I suddenly have feelings for my eighteen year old student' but she couldn't say that.

"No" She answered finally as she played it cool. Spencer smiled sadly at her

"Well, that really sucks" She whispered.

"I'm really sorry Spence" Emily said focusing again on her conversation and setting her doubts and sadness apart. "I'm sure that you'll find a way to fix this, I mean, you really like him, there has to be away to get over this"

"Fingers crossed" Spencer said offering a small smile.

* * *

By the moment lunch time arrived, Paige was beyond upset, she sat at the table with Aria, who was talking about her English exam and how bad she was doing in math and Paige couldn't even listen to a single word.

Her mind was completely somewhere else, more concretely a few tables from them, where a few teachers were sat as they ate; Emily was there too, next to Mr. Fitz, they were talking quietly, and Emily seemed to be having a great time. Paige looked discretely in her direction to try and analyze her a bit. She had been trying to make eye contact, or some kind of contact with Emily, she just wanted to see her, and not just see her through a hallway full of people, and when she had the chance, an hour ago, Emily seemed to walk away. When English class finished, Paige went to her locker to grab a book she forgot, and she saw Emily walking through the hallway, Emily obviously saw her, and Paige did a movement to approach her, but Emily walked away. And now Paige was even more upset that when she woke up and saw Emily panicking.

Paige observed how Emily laughed at something Mr. Fitz said, she leaned back on her chair as she covered her mouth with her hand and Mr. Fitz seemed to smile proudly, Paige wanted to throw up, she didn't wat to be 'spying' on Emily from afar as if she was a stalker; she wanted to be there with her, making her laugh, and maybe just be there… the distance between them wasn't a lot, but at the same time it felt like they were miles apart…

Finally after torturing herself for five more minutes, watching Emily, and imagining that she was sat next to her, Paige returned her attention to Aria, they did some small talk and had a nice conversation until the bell rang signaling the end of lunch time. Aria immediately stood up and grabbed her books; she had to go to talk to a teacher about a paper before her next class started. Paige reminded sat for a few minutes, she made finally eye contact with Emily; it was brief, and Emily looked at her as if she wanted to approach her, but she did not move.

Paige let out a sigh as she saw Emily walking away, she finally gathered her stuff and went to her chemistry class trying to forget what just happened and trying to focus on her books and on the teacher.

Emily observed her leave the cafeteria, she could see how upset Paige looked, and she knew that this had something to do with her, but she couldn't do anything; at least not now. They were in school, in a place full of people; they couldn't just walk hand in hand around… Emily had to admit that some part of her was scared.

She was grateful that she had an hour free, today she just had three classes, her last one was with senior year; fortunately she had an hour to prepare herself to be an hour in front of Paige, she had an hour to prepare herself to be able to stand up there and not be looking at Paige all the time.

Emily walked to the classroom and sat at her desk as she read all the papers she had to check for today; obviously she did this because it was her job, but it was a good way to distract her mind and to focus on the important thing right know, which was being professional.

* * *

Time passed quickly and when she checked the clock she realized that there were only a few minutes late for the class to finish. She left the papers on the desk and leant back on the chair as she closed her eyes. Emily reminded like that for a few seconds, just her, in complete silence, and not thinking; but suddenly the door opened abruptly and someone stepped inside of the classroom. Emily opened her eyes startled and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Paige closing the door and walking to the desk.

"What are you doing here?" Emily asked

"Hi" Paige said "I'm glad to see you too"

Emily observed her for a moment, she didn't seem happy; she stood up, and walked to the front part of the desk where Paige was standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hi" She said quietly as she analyzed Paige's expression "What are you doing here?" She asked again.

"I finished the surprise text before time" Paige explained "Ms. Hastings let me go since class is almost over"

"Oh" Emily said "Okay"

"Is that it?" Paige asked raising an eyebrow "Just okay?"

"Yeah, what else do you want me to say?"

Paige rolled her eyes and took a step towards Emily, she placed her hands on the sides of her face and pulled her closer for a kiss. Their lips almost touched, but before they did, Emily reacted and moved back to free herself from Paige's hold

"We can't" She said in a low voice

"There's no one here" Paige said "No one is watching"

"Someone could enter" Emily said "We need to be careful and-"

Paige moved once again; but this time she trapped Emily between the desk and her body and kissed her hard; the first kiss was kind of harsh and loud, Emily did not move for a second, not responding to the kiss; but Paige slid an arm around her waist carefully to pull her even closer and Emily melted at her touch, even if it was over her clothes. She finally gave in and wrapped her arms around Paige's neck as she kissed her with passion.

"You've been avoiding me all day" Paige whispered between kisses. Emily bite on her bottom lip briefly and kissed her one more time before talking

"I didn't" She said

"You did" Paige repeated

Emily silenced her with another deep and slow kiss; she became aware of what they were doing and where, and after a moment she pulled apart and tried to calm down. Paige looked at her for a second but didn't say a word.

"We're at school Paige" Emily said "This is a public place, and if my memory doesn't fail, we set some rules and one of them was to be careful, especially in front of people.

"But that doesn't mean that you have to ignore me, and pretend like you don't know me at all" Paige said

"No, but I can't be looking at you all day, and I can't be looking for you every time I see you around" Emily said

"Maybe not, but you can stop walking away every time you see me" Paige said with some hint of hurt in her voice.

"Sorry" Emily muttered under her breath. They reminded silent, Emily looked down and Paige observed her.

"You don't have to worry about Sydney by the way" Paige said suddenly smiling. Emily looked at her

"Who?"

"You know who" Paige said "You saw her this morning… but she's just a friend"

"She's always all over you" Emily said not trying to sound too jealous.

"She's a bit clingy" Paige said "But she's just a friend"

"Okay" Emily said

"I say this because I don't want you killing her with a glare again" Paige said "That was scary" She added as she laughed

"I did not such thing" Emily protested as she slapped Paige's shoulder playfully

"Of course you did, and it was kind of hot… if you ask me, but remember, we have to be careful" Paige whispered.

Emily laughed, half in frustration for Paige's lame joke, and half because she found it funny; she wanted to lean over again and kiss Paige's lips, but the sound of the bell startled her. She moved again to put some distance between them and then she turned around to face Paige.

"Class is going to start" Paige said

"Yes"

"You're going to ignore me again"

"Paige, I need to be professional" Emily said

"I know" Paige said "And you are"

"Thanks" Emily said. Paige walked to her table and placed her bag there as she sat, the rest of the students must be arriving by now and she should pretend that she was there bored as the teacher read her papers.

"Paige" Emily said "Are your parents working today?"

"Yeah, night shift" Paige said

"You could always come over" Emily suggested "We don't need to be careful in my apartment" She added smiling. Paige smiled brightly as she looked at Emily, she liked that idea; maybe Emily wasn't trying to avoid her after all.

The door opened again and this time a bunch of students entered the class and walked to their seats. Paige tried to hide her smile and opened her book and pretended to read it. Aria arrived a few minutes later and sat next to her.

"Fucking chemistry exam" She said under her breath as she opened her book "How did you managed to finish it the first?" She asked to Paige

"Luck I guess" Paige said, she glanced one more time to Emily, who smiled back before walking back behind her desk.

"Do you want to come over after school?" Aria asked "You could help me with my chemistry homework… god I hate Ms. Hastings so much..."

"I… can't" Paige said "I have plans"

"Plans?" Aria asked "Since when do you have plans?"

Emily stood next to the blackboard and asked for silence to the students; Aria looked at Paige as if she was suspicious about something, and Paige tried to play it cool.

Paige knew that Aria was looking at her with a killing glare, she knew that her friend hated to be excluded from her plans, but she couldn't cancel on Emily; she just couldn't. Maybe she needed to think about something to say to Aria, but she didn't want to lie to her… maybe the easiest way was to tell her the truth… but she wasn't sure. For the moment she just wanted to keep living in her bubble, where she and Emily were happy together, it was a secret, but it was their secret, and Paige didn't want to share it… yet.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

 _1 year ago_

Paige let out a deep but silent groan when she felt her stomach contracting after her orgasm; her body relaxed after a few seconds and her breathing returned to normal slowly. She opened her eyes, that had been closed during all the pleasure her body was feeling and also that was a way for her to concentrate, she knew that Shana didn't like when she 'finished' too soon, so Paige had to close her eyes and concentrate to last longer.

Shana retired her fingers from inside Paige quickly and wiped them in the sheets; there was a silence, not an uncomfortable one, but still it was weird; it was weird not knowing what to say after sex, they were supposed to be talking or cuddling but not in absolute silence. And this was not the first time, it wasn't as if they had had sex plenty of times… actually they only started having sex a few weeks ago, but for Paige it felt weird.

It felt weird because Paige didn't know that sex was like this, she expected it to be… different… she expected it to be much different that it was for her. She never had sex before, not even a make out session or an intense kiss. Her first kiss was when she was eleven, in PE class, she was hiding behind the bleachers to avoid running and a boy called Mark found her casually, he ended up kissing her, but it was a brief kiss. And then her next couple was a boy called Sean, nothing serious, and definitely nothing that lead to sex; so that was why she was feeling so insecure when she met Shana.

Shana was not just a strong, beautiful and independent woman; it was obvious that she had a lot of experience in sex, and in a lot of things that Paige had no idea. At first Paige found it interesting beyond measure, Shana was mysterious and it was exciting…

The first months of their relationship were really nice, Paige felt comfortable and grateful that Shana wasn't trying to push her into anything that she didn't want, because Paige was really scared of sex, not because of the sex itself but of being a disappointment of not knowing what to do or just not being able to please the other person. She used to feel uncomfortable whenever Shana mentioned something about sex, or even when Shana tried to make more intimate contact with her.

One night, when they were at a party at the end of the summer, and Shana got drunk, Paige was halfway to end up in the same state as her girlfriend, but she decided to stop drinking, she didn't want to get into any trouble.

It turned out that drunk Shana was a little bit clingier that sober, and she was definitely turned on that night, and she dragged Paige out of the pub where they were and took her home. Obviously they didn't do anything that night, Shana ended up falling asleep, but that was all Paige needed to know; her girlfriend wanted sex, and Paige… wasn't exactly ready, but she couldn't keep rejecting the idea forever. So a few days after that, finally Paige had her first time…

Paige remembered her sister years ago, sitting on the couch in their living room talking with Emily about losing her virginity, Cassie never lied about this, and she told her best friend every single detail about how she had her first time with her boyfriend Noel; Paige heard them from the kitchen, where she and Liam where sat. And she remembered how excited Cassie was, and how happy she looked, she said a lot of things like: it was amazing, or: I was so nervous, but it ended up being so incredible… Paige always thought that her first time was going to be like that too, but it wasn't.

It wasn't amazing, or incredible. She was nervous, that was for sure, so nervous that she ended up messing it up, for starters, she was sweating, Shana had to calm her a few times and when she started to touch her, Paige obviously liked it, but she came too soon, and she noted how that upset Shana. Paige didn't know why that happened to her, she never came so fast when she touched herself; maybe it was just because of the nerves. And then came the part when she had to touch Shana, and… she didn't even know where to start. Shana was her first official girlfriend, and the first girl who had arrived so far with her; when Paige came out of the closet, she never really dated any girl, she had a massive crush a few years ago, and the girl also liked her but they never dated, after that she had a few more flings, but nothing serious.

Her first time was a disaster, and after that they obviously had had sex a few more times; Shana said that she needed practice, and maybe she did; but now every time they did it, it felt weird. Paige was starting to question herself if she was the problem… maybe it was her fault.

"Damn" Shana said as she lied next to Paige "Why do you have to be so fucking quiet?" She asked with a hint of annoyance. Paige looked at her and gulped audibly when she noticed Shana's stare; she was obviously judging her and Paige didn't like that look.

"Is… is that bad?" She asked insecure. She wasn't a sex expert, but she never heard that being quiet was a problem; actually she didn't even know that she was quiet, she enjoyed the orgasm, and she loved Shana, what was the problem?

"You know, it's cool to have some feedback sometimes" Shana said

"I liked it" Paige said "That's the point"

"The point is to have fun" Shana said "Aren't you enjoying this?" She asked

"Of course"

"Then why are you so silent?" Shana asked again

"I didn't know that I had to be loud to have sex" Paige said, Shana looked at her in silence and then sat on the bed facing her.

"You don't, but sex is more than just lie on a bed and close your eyes you know?" Shana said "We could try something else"

"Something else?" Paige asked with a hint of scare. Shana looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, new things" She said mischievously

"M-maybe we should wait a bit" Paige said in a low voice "I don't know if I am ready…"

"Please Paige, is not like you need a master degree on sex to experiment you know? You just need to stop complaining and let it go"

Paige swallowed a lump in her throat. She was uncomfortable, and Shana wasn't making things easy for her; she wasn't even used to have normal sex, and her girlfriend already wanted to try something new… probably it wasn't something so complicated as she was picturing it in her mind, but she didn't like the idea.

"I don't know…" Paige said

"Uggh" Shana said under her breath "Leave it" She said finally as she moved to stand up. Paige looked at her with watery eyes and grabbed her hand before she could leave.

"Wait… you didn't let me touch you" She whispered. Shana released her hand and walked around the room graving her clothes.

"Whatever, I'm not in the mood anymore" She said.

Paige let out a sigh as she saw Shana leaving the room; immediately she covered her naked body with the sheets and let out a deep sob as she tried to think about what she did wrong.

* * *

 _Present day_

The water of the pool was warm and calm, the only movement was the small soft waves Paige was creating with the movement of her legs from side to side as she moved them slowly. Not long ago, she was inside of the pool making laps and pushing herself over the edge, she actually swam until her limbs were sore and her lungs hurt. But she didn't care, she needed it; now finally after a few hours there, she finally was tired enough, so she was just enjoying the silence of the place.

It had been a rough day, first of all even if it was Sunday and she was supposed to have a free day, she had tons of things to do for school; that was never a problem for her but the thing was that today was her mother's free day.

Claire loved to work, she and her husband spent more time in the hospital that in their own house but at least Nick liked to take breaks some times and he liked to be around Paige, even if it was just for a few days, and Paige liked it, Nick was funny and he never pressured her with anything, he just was around her ready to talk or just order dinner and watch a movie with her. But Claire was different, for starters she did everything possible to have less free days; she said that she couldn't let her patients alone for so many time, even if she was being replaced by another doctor obviously, but Claire hated to leave the hospital. Even though she had to have at least a free day every month, and Paige hated that day.

Claire always found a way to infuriate her, and to make her upset, she just wanted to talk about Paige's grades, about Paige's times in the pool and about how she needed to improve. Paige was used now, and she did everything in her hand to avoid her mother, she just locked herself in the room and waited for her mom to go out or just to go to sleep. But today Claire was in an extra-talkative mood, and she spent all day asking Paige about school and telling her that she needed to get better grades if she wanted the scholarship.

Paige was tired of it, she was tired of hearing about the damn scholarship and about the damn medicine career, she didn't want to be a doctor as her parents, she didn't want to have the same life as her mom; as much as Claire loved being a doctor, Paige didn't share that opinion. So after a few hours of arguing and getting upset Paige just did what she did best in these occasions. She grabbed her bike and left the house. She could've stayed there, she could just have gone to the back yard and jump into the pool, but she didn't want to be in the same house as her mother, so the school's pool will be better.

The truth was that a few hours had passed now, she didn't remember what time it was when she arrived there, and she didn't know what time it was now; but she had been there definitely for a long time.

A loud thud startled her suddenly; she turned around abruptly and looked to the direction of the locker rooms and the bleachers, everything was silent, maybe something fall outside… Paige shook her head to try to clear her mind, she didn't know why she had been thinking about Shana a moment ago; that memory just came to her mind suddenly, it wasn't a nice memory though, and she felt bad just by thinking about it, she remember all her struggle to try to be at Shana's level always and how she always failed.

She didn't really know why she was thinking about her sex life with Shana actually, that was something that she had buried deep inside of her brain and tried to avoid always, but maybe the fact that now she had a 'relationship' made her think about all this… what if she was still insecure about sex? Emily never talked about it, they actually had only been together for a week, it was soon to talk about it, or to think about it, sex was not an option now, even though Paige wondered how it would be with Emily; she wondered how it would be to see Emily's naked body, to feel her pressed against her and how it would be to feel her… She never felt that way with Shana; she needed months to even dare to think about it. But with Emily was different.

But then she remembered how many times Shana complained that she didn't touch her well, or how quiet she was… maybe that could disappoint Emily too, Paige thought.

"I don't even know why I'm thinking about this" Paige mumbled as she splashed water with her feet. Emily and her had only been together for a week, and the last two days they only had talked briefly over the phone so there was no way they were in the space to start having sex, actually even if Paige noted how heated they kisses became every time they were alone, they weren't ready, or… she wasn't ready.

"Paige?"

Paige turned around startled as she tried to identify the familiar voice behind her, she wasn't expecting to see anyone there, it was late; it was Sunday, no one should be there, she should be alone. Paige was ready to start talking and maybe argue with whoever the hell was that was interrupting her when she spotted the only person that she wanted to see that day, maybe the only person she needed to see.

"Em?" She asked in response. She stood up quickly and took a few steps towards Emily, who was standing there with a quizzical look "What are you doing here?" Paige asked confused

"I was going to ask you the same thing" Emily said crossing her arms over her chest. Paige noticed the small cute smile in Emily's face and blushed softly

"I was just doing some laps" Paige said

"You're not allowed to use the pool on weekends, at least the coach has given you permission" Emily said approaching her.

"I'm the captain of the team, I have the key, that gives me permission" Paige said smiling cockily.

"We could ask Coach Fulton if you want" Emily said

"Would you tell Coach?" Paige asked raising an eyebrow. Emily, who had been keeping a bit of distance and had been faking a serious expression let out a soft laugh and unfolded her arms, letting them fall to the sides of her body

"Of course not, but I don't really believe that you're here just to make some laps" She said. Paige looked at her in the eyes for a few seconds and then took the last step to close the distance between them. She placed her hands carefully on Emily's waist and pulled her closer, until she was fully pressed against her.

Emily rested her forehead against Paige's and wrapped her arms slowly around her neck, they reminded silent for a moment looking at each other. Then Paige moved gently to kiss Emily tenderly. It was the first time that they kissed in a few days. Emily had work to do on the weekend, and Paige had homework, so they only talked over the phone a few times.

Emily let out a small moan when her lips connected to Paige's; she placed a hand on the back of Paige's neck pulling her even closer. The kiss had started tender and chaste, but it heated up a bit within the seconds.

Paige kept her hands securely on Emily's waist not wanting to be inappropriate; Emily could feel Paige's body in tension and she smiled into the kiss, she had noticed this a few days ago, when they were kissing, they were in Emily's apartment, alone, and comfortable, and when things got heated up Paige tensed up. Emily found that incredibly cute; maybe Paige was just overwhelmed by sexual tension or maybe she didn't want to do anything wrong.

Anyways, Emily finally opened her mouth a bit allowing their kiss to deepen for a moment; Paige happily obliged and slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth. The kiss continued for a few more seconds until they finally pulled apart to breathe.

"I've missed you" Paige said as she buried her face on the crook of Emily's neck. The kiss had ended but they were still hugged and closer to each other as they could. Emily smiled softly and placed a kiss on the top of Paige's head.

"I've missed you too" She said "It's a really nice surprise to find you here, I thought I would have to wait for tomorrow to see you"

"I know" Paige mumbled against Emily's neck. They reminded silent again, they had been apart only for two days but felt like ages, so none of them made any effort to pull away; instead Emily wrapped her arms tighter around Paige's body and Paige tightened her grip on Emily's waist. They only pulled apart a few minutes later.

"Now seriously talking" Paige said "What are you doing here?"

"Paper work" Emily said faking some enthusiasm

"On Sunday?" Paige asked

"It's weird I know, but I prefer to finish with it today instead of tomorrow, I have exams to correct and classes"

"You work really hard" Paige commented "Fulton should do her damn paper work on her own"

"I'm her assistant now, so technically it's my damn paper work" Emily said smiling

"I see"

"What about you?" Emily asked

"What about me?" Paige asked in response. Emily pointed at the pool and then pointed at Paige's outfit; she was still wearing her swimsuit and her shark's hoodie.

"You were not here just to improve your times"

"No" Paige said

"I see" Emily said this time "This has something to do with Claire right?"

"She's a pain in the ass" Paige said finally with a growl. Emily laughed and slapped Paige's shoulder playfully

"I guess you're not in the mood to go back home" Emily said

"You guessed right" Paige confirmed "I don't want to see her for the rest of the week, I'm tired of arguing"

"I understand" Emily said, she approached Paige again and placed her hand on the girl's cheek gently caressing it with her thumb "You look tired" She commented as she observed Paige's face closer.

"I am" Paige said. Emily kissed her cheek softly and pulled apart.

"Too tired to help?" She asked as she pointed to the office

"Help?"

"Yes, it's late, and I could use some help with the files" Emily said

"It's not my work" Paige said cockily crossing her arms over her chest. Emily let out a mischievous smile and unzipped her jacket, she slid it off her shoulders revealing a black blouse that let little to imagination. Paige tried to maintain her composure, but her jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she saw Emily's cleavage and her toned arms…

"What a shame" Emily said combing her hair sexily "I thought that if we finished soon we could have some fun" She mumbled "But it's okay, you can go, I can do it by myself" She said. Paige gulped audibly, she hadn't noticed Emily's tight jeans until now, and she hadn't noticed how beautiful she was when she was dressed so casual… she could be dressed in whatever the hell she wanted and she would look beautiful as well.

"I never said that I wasn't going to help" Paige said, Emily's smile grew bigger and she started walking to the Coach's office, Paige stood behind her for a moment, her gaze traveled south on Emily's body until it landed on Emily's butt… she was doing it on purpose; Emily was accentuating the swaying of her hips as she walked, and Paige was hundred percent sure that Emily knew that she was checking her out right now.

"You coming?" Emily asked without turning around and as she entered the office. Paige took one last look.

"Y-yeah" She mumbled as she ran to the office.

* * *

It was a little more than an hour later, that they were finally finished, there were a lot of files to be checked and a lot of papers to be signed, but they managed to finish everything and after a while of talking they ended up sitting at the edge of the pool.

"I understand why you come here when you're upset" Emily said "It's so quiet"

"Yes" Paige said "And the water in this pool is warm, now that we're not in the summer anymore, my pool is not the best option"

"And it smells like chlorine" Emily added "I love it"

"Did you know that the chlorine doesn't smell?" Paige asked. Emily looked at her confused and shrugged her shoulders "It doesn't smell like anything, actually the smell we notice sometimes means that the water is dirty"

"Ugh" Emily said, she splashed some water with her feet, that were inside the pool and then laughed

"I read it once" Paige said

"You should stop reading that stuff, or at least don't tell me" Emily said "I liked the smell"

Paige let out a small laugh and rested her head in Emily's shoulder; Emily looked at her and then sighed in content. This was not the most romantic scenario, she would rather be in a restaurant having a romantic dinner with Paige, or just taking a walk with her hand in hand around the town… but they couldn't. As much as Emily wanted their relationship to be normal, it wasn't. It had been just a week since they decided to stop hiding their feelings, only a week, and Emily already felt as if she had been with Paige all her life. And even if they couldn't be out in public, at least they had these small moments, were they were alone, and it seemed as if the world disappeared and there were just them.

"Thank you" Paige whispered as she wrapped her arms around Emily's bicep. Emily looked at her a bit confused

"For what?"

"I don't know… for being here I guess" Paige said "I know that you didn't come here for me… but now that you're here, I feel better"

She pulled apart a bit to look at Emily in the eyes. Emily immediately missed the comfortable heat of Paige's body but didn't move.

"Just being near you makes me feel better" Paige said with a serious expression. Emily was looking at her more than confused; she wasn't used to Paige being so open, and so vulnerable. But she understood what she was saying perfectly. She let out a soft laugh and nodded.

"I don't know if you know this, but you have the exact same effect on me" Emily said offering a sincere smile.

"This is so cheesy" Paige said looking away matching Emily's smile

"I know, I think is the effect of the night" Emily said "It's late"

"It can't be that late" Paige said frowning, she looked at Emily confused "It was still bright outside when I came here"

"Well, and that was long ago, because now it's nearly midnight" Emily said

"What?!" Paige asked

"Time flies when you're having fun" Emily joked

"I have school tomorrow" Paige mumbled as she rubbed her temples

"Yeah, me too"

"Whatever" Paige said finally "is not that I go to bed early anyways"

"You're planning to stay here all night?" Emily asked

"No, but I told Liam that I was going to go home with him, he must be waiting" Paige said.

Emily frowned discretely and looked away for a second, of course Paige was going to stay with her brother; it was the best, and she had a room there, there was nothing bad with that. But Emily had been secretly hoping that Paige asked her to stay the night at her apartment. Emily knew that it was better this way, they were together but still they needed space, their relationship was special for both of them but Emily knew that they weren't ready to take things further, and sometimes when they kissed or were alone Emily felt as if she was losing control over her body, so maybe it was better like this.

"We should get going then" She suggested, Paige sighed deeply and nodded, she was enjoying Emily's company, she loved to be alone with her and to be in the pool… but it was really late and probably Liam was starting to get worried.

"Yeah… I wish we could stay here though" Paige commented as they stood up. Emily looked around and smiled softly

"You want to spend the night at the school's pool?" Emily asked half-jokingly

"Well, it's not the best place to live, but at least I get to see you… since we haven't saw each other lately"

"I'm sorry about that" Emily said in a whisper "I've been busy"

"I know" Paige said

"What we have… is complicated" Emily said finally; Paige nodded and sighed sadly

"I know" She said again "Do… you think that this is going to be okay?" She asked insecure; it was not that she regretted being with Emily; actually she loved it, she had really strong feelings for Emily and she was comfortable with her, but she knew that what they had was not actually easy.

"I don't know" Emily said, she let out a sigh and looked at Paige's eyes "The truth is that I don't know"

"That's a really encouraging answer" Paige mumbled. Emily smiled at her and looked down

"Sorry" Emily said "I would love to tell you that everything is going to be okay… believe me, I would love to tell you that this is going to end up okay but I don't know, there's a lot of complications here, I'm your teacher, and I am considerably older than you…"

"The age is not a problem for me" Paige said

"I'm nearly thirty" Emily commented "In ten years you'll still be young and I'll be a forty years old woman…"

"Forty is not old" Paige said

"It is for me"

"So you think that we'll be together in ten years?" Paige asked trying to lighten up the mood; Emily smiled at the answer and nodded

"I would love that" She said

"Me too" Paige said

"But right now we have to focus on what we have, and… be careful about this, and…" Emily's words died in the air and Paige looked at her confused

"And?" She encouraged her to continue

"Well… you'd tell me if you weren't comfortable right?" Emily said

"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine here with you" Paige said sounding reassuring. Emily smiled nervously and shrugged her shoulders. She had been thinking about this for days now, and she was really concerned by it.

"Paige, you're young…" Emily said

"Em I already told you that…"

Before Paige could end up her sentence Emily put a finger on her lips to silence her; it was important for her to say this, maybe it was stupid but this was something that was bothering Emily and she needed to say it.

"Please, let me finish" She asked; Paige nodded in understanding and reminded silent.

"You're eighteen, and you have a lot of things to live yet that I already lived" Emily said "I'm not saying that I'm regretting anything or something like that, don't misunderstand me, but maybe in the future you'll find being with someone older boring or just you would prefer to share your life with someone that is living the same experiences that you are living for the first time. I just want you to be honest with me if you feel that you need someone younger, that's all, I just wanted you to understand my reasons" Emily concluded. Paige nodded again; she actually understood that perfectly and now she kind of saw Emily's perspective clearly.

"I understand" Paige said finally after a few seconds of thinking "But you also need to understand that I don't want anyone else… don't you see it?" She asked, Emily looked at her in confusion "This is not about the age, or about you being my teacher, this is about you; I'm here with you because I like you, and the fact that you're older is just that, a fact; I'm not interested in any other girl, I'm not interested in seeing anyone else even if they're younger because they're not you. Em, I told you this; this is not a game for me, and what I feel is serious"

They both reminded silent for a few seconds, Paige could tell by the look in Emily's face, that she was about to cry, she had her eyes a bit watery and her lip quivered softly.

"But if it makes you feel better, I promise that I will be honest with you no matter what" Paige added. A tear fell finally from Emily's eyes and she whipped it quickly as she let out a laugh at Paige's words.

Emily considered her answer for a moment, but instead of answering with words she just moved closer to Paige and wrapped her in a tight hug.

It was weird how much things had changed between them, it was so weird that Emily felt as if all this wasn't real sometimes; she couldn't believe that the same little girl that she adored so much was now the woman that was driving her crazy; because that was the correct way to express how Emily felt about Paige.

She never said this out loud, not even to Paige; but lately the only thing that was in her mind was Paige, ever since they kissed for the first time in Emily's living room…

Paige tightened her grip on Emily and buried her face in the crook of her neck; they reminded like that for a few more seconds until finally they ended up pulling apart.

It was the perfect moment to start kissing again; they wanted to, their faces were incredibly closer and their need for each other was noted, but neither of them took the step to initiate the kiss. Emily knew that it was not going to be a chaste kiss and she didn't want to pressure anything, and obviously Paige knew it too.

"You should change" Emily said "I can walk you to Liam's apartment if you want"

"I would love that" Paige said smiling brightly.

* * *

It was nearly half past twelve when Paige finally arrived to her brother's apartment; she and Emily had a nice walk after leaving the pool, they took their time as they talked about some things and then they took their time to say goodbye before Emily went home.

Paige never imagined being so cheesy and so intimate with Emily; they literally spent five minutes kissing before saying goodbye for real, and in the past it was just a brief kiss on the cheek, now everything was so different.

She reached for the keys in her pocket and when she entered the house she realized that the lights were still on and that there was movement around. Caleb and Liam loved to party and the weekends they used to sleep at really late hours but not when they had to work. Paige walked slowly to the living room and found her brother and for her incredible surprise, Pam Fields was there too, sat on the armchair drinking a mug of tea; Caleb was sat on the couch already fast asleep as he snored softly.

"Hi" Paige said in a low voice, she didn't know what was happening but everyone except for Caleb seemed worried.

"Paige" Liam said, he stood up quickly and ran to hug his sister. Paige heard Pam mumbling a quick 'thank God that she's okay'. Then she went to hug Paige too.

"What are you doing here?" Paige asked to Pam. Pam was looking at her with concern and holding her as if she was going to disappear.

"What the hell happened to you?" Liam asked

"What?"

"You didn't answer our calls" Pam said softly.

"You said that you were going to be here in a few hours" Liam said "And that was at five… it's past midnight" He said

"Sorry" Paige said. She realized now that she actually had been gone for a long time, but when she went to the pool she didn't even pay attention to the clock

"The next time you decide to disappear around the town, at least you could send a text or answer the calls" Liam said

"Sorry" Paige repeated

"Where were you?" Pam asked

"Yeah, where were you? I though you went to Pam's house" Liam said "Obviously not…"

"I was at the school's pool" Paige said. A sudden movement startled them all and they turned around to find Caleb sat on the couch looking at them in confusion.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a sleepy voice. Liam pointed to his sister and Caleb jumped from the couch and hugged Paige tightly, he raised her from the floor and shook her around the living room.

"What were you doing Paigey? We were so worried" Caleb said placing her back on the floor.

"I see" Paige said "You seemed so worried with your eyes closed"

"Well the important thing here is that you're okay and that it was just a misunderstanding" Pam said offering a smile.

"Yeah, so, now that our little girl is here" Caleb said "I'm out for the night" He waved his hand as a goodbye gesture and walked to his room quickly.

"You must be hungry" Liam said "I'll make you something"

Paige nodded and smiled at him, he was trying to seem angry but she knew that he wasn't, he was actually glad to see her, but Liam was not really expressive. Pam stood next to her for a moment just observing her; she approached Paige with a sincere look in her eyes and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Paige knew very well that look in Pam's eyes, she knew that she couldn't lie to her, in the end Pam had been there for here for so many years that she knew her as if she was her daughter.

"I'm just a bit upset" Paige said "That's all"

"Why didn't you come to me?" Pam asked "This was because of your mom right?" Paige nodded and looked down embarrassed. She had been really close to go and see Pam.

Pam was the only person in this world that understood her completely and that listened to her no matter what, she was always there for her… but lately, Paige couldn't just go and see her… she felt somehow guilty, and those feelings made her feel really bad; because she was kissing Pam's daughter, even if Emily was an adult, obviously older, and that she didn't need her mom's approval for anything… it felt weird to kiss Emily and not tell Pam about it… that didn't feel so good…

"I've been just overwhelmed by school" Paige said "And my mom's pressure doesn't help"

Pam eyed her carefully, it was as if she knew that she was hiding something, and Paige tried to keep it cool and pretended that she wasn't nervous, she was a terrible liar but she hoped that Pam wouldn't notice.

"The next time, please come to me" Pam said "You shouldn't be alone when you're not feeling well"

"I will" Paige said feeling even more guilty for lying to Pam.

Pam nodded finally and moved to kiss Paige's cheek gently; Paige offered a nervous smile and then, their little moment was interrupted by her brother.

"I made you a sandwich" He said "If you don't mind"

Paige looked at him and then returned her gaze to Pam, who was now smiling at her, it felt weird, now that she thought about it, to lie to everyone about Emily, or about how she felt. She could simply say that she had been helping Emily in the Coach's office and that's all, but she didn't dare, because she really didn't want to seem suspicious…

"Why don't you come home tomorrow night?" Pam said before Paige could speak "I could cook something nice for you" She added happily. Paige smiled brightly and nodded without even thinking about it

"Of course, I'll be there after work" She said

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow Paige" Pam said as she walked to the door "Bye Liam, thanks for calling me tonight"

"You're welcome Mrs. Fields" Liam said waving his hand. Pam left the apartment seconds later and then Liam stood next to Paige in silence as he eyed her. Suddenly, Paige felt her brother's fist slamming her shoulder softly.

"Hey!" She said in protest "What was that for?"

"That's for making me worried" He said

"I said that I'm sorry" Paige mumbled as they started to walk to the kitchen

"I'm your older brother, I'm always going to be worried about you" Liam said "So the next time you decide to disappear like this, I'll break your legs" He said "Unless you're with someone else" He added with a mischievous smile

"What?" Paige asked

"Come on P, it's been a year since you dated that bitch, no one else new in your life?" He asked

"No" Paige said looking down

"Really? That would explain why you don't talk to me anymore" Liam said still smiling "Or why you are so mysterious lately"

"What the hell have you been drinking?" Paige asked "I'm not seeing anyone, okay? I was mad at mom and I wanted to be alone, and I'm not mysterious or whatever, you're just an idiot, that's why I don't want to talk you" She said raising her voice.

Liam looked at her a bit surprised, he only meant what he said as a joke, he always liked to push Paige to the edge, but only because Paige did the same with him, that was the cool part of her relationship; but Paige seemed really offended, and it was the first time in a long time that Paige yelled at him like this.

"Paige…" He said confused

"I'm tired" Paige said, she walked past him to go to her room

"You're not going to eat the sandwich?" He asked

"I don't want your fucking sandwich" Paige said as she left the kitchen.

Liam stood without words in the middle of the kitchen looking at the door as she saw her sister disappear through it; he grabbed the sandwich from the table and took a big bite as he thought about what happened.

"What the hell was that?" He asked to a mouthful of food as he thought.

* * *

Emily walked through empty dark streets taking rushed steps and looking around every few seconds; it was not the same walking around Rosewood in the middle of the night that doing it during the day; everything felt so silent and empty… she saw a few people before, and a couple of vehicles were around but nothing much. She still thought that it was worth it, since she got at least to spend some time with Paige that night.

Fortunately her apartment wasn't too far from Liam's, and a few minutes later she was arriving to the entry of the building. The Brew was already closed, sometimes it stayed opened until late hours at night, mostly on weekends. Emily looked at it as she looked for the keys in her pocket and then rushed upstairs.

She didn't bother to turn out the lights when she entered, she was used to the stairs so she just went up in the dark; but when she arrived at the top of the stairs, she was met by a big dark figure that moved abruptly in front of her.

Emily let her keys drop to the floor as soon as she saw the movement; she let out a scream and slammed her fist hard against the figure, everything happened so fast… She tried to find the stairs again after the punch, but then she heard a scream; as soon as her fist connected with the unknown body she heard a familiar scream of pain and then someone fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Immediately, Emily searched for the light knob in the nearest knob and turned it on. Then she let out a groan of relieve when she realized that the figure that seemed to be attacking her before was just Ezra.

Ezra was sat on the floor; rubbing his jaw as he mumbled something incomprehensible. Emily looked at him now more calmed, she let out a laugh.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked "You scared the hell out of me"

"Well, you hit the hell out of me" Ezra said as he stood up slowly "We're even… you have a strong hand…" He added still rubbing his jaw

"I'm sorry" Emily said embarrassed, she approached Ezra and moved his hand to see the damage on his jaw; she hit him really hard actually, and the left side of Ezra's jaw was now starting to gain some red, purplish color… "I think you're going to have a small bruise…"

"Nice" Ezra said

"Is not that bad, you can cover it with a bit of make-up" Emily suggested

"Okay, enough talking about this" He said pointing to his face "Next time you could just turn the lights on before hitting me"

"Oh, sorry if I got scared to see someone at my door in the middle of the night" Emily said. Ezra grabbed the keys from the floor and handed them to Emily.

"I just came here to make a quick visit" Ezra said as Emily opened the door.

"It's midnight" Emily said

"Yeah, but it wasn't when I came here"

"How long have you been there?"

"A few hours" Ezra mumbled

"What?!" Emily asked. They finally stepped inside of the apartment and walked to the living room. Ezra shrugged his shoulders and offered a smile.

"I wanted to see my friend" He said

"You wanted to see me?" Emily asked raising an eyebrow

"Okay, okay… I didn't like the idea of spending a beautiful Sunday night alone in my house so, here I am"

"Why didn't you call me?" Emily asked

"Oh I did call; I called you a few times" Ezra said "But I just got to talk with your voice mail so… I decided to wait"

"Sorry" Emily said

"It's okay, you have a life, that's cool; you don't have to stand your single depressed friend" Ezra said as he let his body collapse on the couch. "Were you on a hot date or something?" He asked. Emily laughed and sat next to him.

"Of course not" She said "if you count making paper work at Coach Fulton's office as a hot date, then yes"

"Wow, you have an intense life" Ezra said

"I know"

"You could have plenty of hot dates if you wanted though" Ezra commented nonchalantly

"I don't think so" Emil said

"You're hot, and still young… you could have any girl you wanted" He said

"Well, I could say the same about you" Emily replied

"Yeah… maybe I'm tired of hot dates" Ezra said

"Yeah, and I'm not interested in meeting anyone now" Emily added, it wasn't a lie actually, she wasn't interested in anyone now, she was tired of relationships and tired of getting hurt; she actually promised to herself that she was not going to trust anyone ever again… obviously with the exception of Paige… she couldn't avoid a small smile when she thought about the girl; she wasn't interested in meeting anyone right now because she was only interested in Paige.

"What happened to Samara?" Ezra asked

"I told you… the date was a disaster" Emily said

"I know, but maybe you could try again" He said

"I don't think so, thanks for the push with that, but I think that I'm done with dates for the moment"

"How about a movie?" Ezra asked

"It's late"

"Are you tired?"

"I'll chose the movie this time" Emily said grabbing the remote control from the table

* * *

It was nearly eight o'clock when Emily and Ezra arrived to school; it had been a long night for them, after watching the movie, they stayed until four in the morning talking and laughing so they didn't realize that they fell asleep on Emily's couch, and obviously neither of them heard the alarm clock in the morning.

They stepped into the building and immediately went to the teacher's room to get ready for the classes. Ezra sat with Spencer as they drank a coffee and Emily just grabbed a few papers and the exams she was going to do today and went straight to the classroom. She had class with first year and she had a few things to do with them today.

She was only a few steps from the classroom when someone grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into one of the empty classrooms abruptly. Emily took a few seconds to recover from the shock and looked around confused

"What the hell?" Emily asked

Before she could said something else, or before she could get any explanations, a pair of lips crushed against hers with force but with tenderness at first. Emily didn't need to know anything else; she could recognize the test of those lips and the way they felt without even looking at them.

The kiss continued for a few more seconds, Paige kissed her eagerly, as if they hadn't seen each other in decades. Emily was surprised to feel the force of the kiss but didn't complain, she just opened her mouth to give Paige full access, and wrapped her arms between the girl's neck.

"Morning" Emily said between kisses, when she felt their kiss slowing down. Paige gave her lower lip a soft bite

"Morning" She said in a whisper. Within the seconds they stopped kissing, but didn't pull apart, they just stayed there in silence.

"What happened to you today?" Emily asked with a smile as she looked at Paige. Paige shrugged her shoulders and let out a smile too.

"I don't know… I wanted to kiss you" She said

"You know we're in school right?" Emily asked

"Yeah"

"That breaks our rule number one or two"

"Who cares about rules?" Paige said; she moved forward again trapping Emily's lips and kissing her with even more passion than before. Emily moaned against Paige's mouth as she felt one of the girl's hands sliding under her shirt carefully and caressing the small of her back.

It all happened quickly, they were completely concentrated in their kissing and the heat of the moment; Paige took a few steps forward and moved them until Emily was pressed against one of the tables. They collapsed against the surface with force, such force that the table moved abruptly and they looked at it startled.

Once they realized what had just happened, they burst out laughing as they kissed briefly and felt in silence after a moment.

"Someone's eager" Emily whispered as she kissed Paige's cheek. Paige blushed immediately and gulped nervously as she realized that she got too carried away.

"Sorry" She muttered as she took a step back putting some distance. Emily smiled at her and grabbed the hem of her shirt pulling Paige against her body once again.

"Don't be" Emily said "We both wot carried away"

Paige looked at her and smiled shyly, Emily was about to kiss her once again, she was feeling eager too now, and she could feel her body responding to Paige's kisses and touches but she couldn't do anything about it; not yet, not in the school, and she didn't know whether or not Paige was ready for this. And besides, when she was about to talk again, they heard a sound coming from outside the classroom. It sounded as if someone was going to open the door. Immediately they both pulled away and fixed their clothes and tried to stay calm; fortunately that someone that was outside opened the door of one of the classrooms near them, so no one saw them.

Paige reminded silent for a few seconds after that; she could feel her heart slamming hard against her chest, she turned around to face Emily and she saw the look on her face. Emily seemed to be in panic, she was silent and deep in thought as she looked into the door's direction. Paige knew exactly was she was thinking about, and somehow she felt as if they tiny cute moment together was over now.

"Em" She spoke in a gently voice. Emily blinked a few times and looked at her

"That was close" Emily whispered as she walked to the door

"I know… but nothing happened"

"We shouldn't be doing this" Emily said

"Doing what?" Paige asked a bit scared

"T-this" Emily said pointing between them and the classroom "Here in school"

"It was my fault… I know… and I am sorry" Paige said "But no one saw us"

"Yeah but what if they did?" Emily said seriously. Paige rubbed her temples and tried to approach Emily; Emily knew that she was probably overreacting now, but she was scared, she was scared of what could happen if someone knew about what she was doing with Paige.

"Emily…"

"You should go to class" Emily said. Paige looked at her hurt, hurt and a bit disappointed, it didn't feel so good to be treated like a kid again, and it didn't feel so god with the one applying that treatment was Emily. Paige knew that Emily was scared, she could see that in her eyes, but she hated the fact that Emily had to set her apart every time she got scared.

"Emily we can talk about this" Paige said

"Paige" Emily said sharply "The bell is going to ring, I have to work, and you should go to class"

Paige clenched her teeth hard, as she saw Emily's cold expression, but now she couldn't do anything, actually Emily was right, it was time to start classes…

"Sorry if I bothered you Ms. Fields" Paige said politely "It won't happen again" She walked past Emily without looking at her and walked outside the classroom leaving Emily alone with her thoughts.

Emily was tempted to go after her and call her, maybe talk a bit more… try to explain, or maybe just to say sorry, but she didn't do anything; she couldn't. No one could see her running after a student and obviously no one could see her getting so close or kissing a student; so she reminded still in that empty classroom for a moment and then walked outside trying not to think again about what happened, at least not until her work was finished.

* * *

"If you keep staring at your food like that I think the bread might start running away from you" Aria said to a mouthful of food as she chewed on her sandwich. Paige let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed her eyes

"I'm not hungry anymore" She said as she put the plate with the half eaten sandwich away. Aria observer her and placed hers on the table.

"Spit" She said

"What?"

"I don't know, just spit, whatever the hell that is bothering you"

"Nothing is bothering me" Paige said

"Okay then, stop with that 'fuck everything' face, and the shitty mood"

Paige sighed deeply and shook her head as she tried to fake a smile. Aria stared at her and threw her a piece of bread as she shook her head.

"You are so bipolar sometimes McCullers… I guess I'll have to guess what's wrong with you" Aria said, she crossed her arms over her chest as she studied Paige carefully.

"You're not going to guess" Paige said

"Let's see… you're angry with the world for no reason" Aria said

"I'm not angry with the world!" Paige argued

"Whatever you say hon… what else… you ignore everyone, which is actually normal, but lately you're ignoring me which is not normal since I'm your only true friend"

"Not true" Paige mumbled

"And… oh, let's not forget the fact that you disappear every time you can, you're always going home sooner and spending time alone… and you're not eating" Aria said pointing to the sandwich

"What's the problem with that?"

"You always eat… you're a professional eater or something, you even finished your lunch first so you could eat mine"

"Things change" Paige said

"Yeah, or maybe is just that you're hiding something from me" Aria commented

"Something like what?"

"I don't know… something like that fact that you're in love?" Aria asked

"What?!" Paige asked raising her voice a bit

"Really?" Aria asked excited "I just guessed at first but your reaction just confirmed it" She said clapping her hands "Who's the lucky girl?"

"There's no girl" Paige said

"A boy?" Aria asked "Are you straight now or what?"

"No Aria, I am not straight, and I am not in love"

"Of course, come on, don't play dumb, you know you can tell me anything" Aria said

"I know, but there's nothing to tell" Paige said

"Paige, you're a terrible liar, and you definitely can't lie to me, is it someone from school?" Aria asked curiously

"NO!" Paige said "Stop with that, there's no one"

"Okay so is she from other school?" Aria asked again

"I hate you" Paige mumbled as she rubbed her forehead

"Tell me that it's not Shana" Aria said

"Why I will have to be dating Shana again?" Paige asked

"I don't know, I should be asking you"

"I'm not with Shana, she might've kissed me but-"

"She kissed you?!" Aria asked

"Fuck" Paige whispered

"Why you didn't tell me?"

"I don't really want to talk about it" Paige said

"But I am your best friend, you have to tell me"

"Aria, I am not in the mood to talk about Shana or to talk about anything else okay? She kissed me, after the meet, but nothing else happened. Emily was there, she stopped her, end of the story"

"Emily?" Aria asked confused

"Ms. Fields" Paige said clearing her throat.

"Hi girls" they both turned around when they heard the familiar voice. Sydney didn't wait for any of the girls to greet her back; she just sat at the table next to Paige and smiled at her.

"Ugh" Aria said as she rolled her eyes "Hi Sydney" She said politely

"Hey" Paige said. Sydney moved closer to her and stared at her as if she was going to do something

"I hope you don't mind me sitting here with you, I just saw you and thought that it will be fine to talk" Sydney said

"Oh, of course not" Aria said "You can talk all you want, maybe you can try and talk to Paige actually; see if she's in the mood to talk to you" She said as she stood up and grabbed her stuff.

Paige looked as Aria walked away from the table and left the cafeteria without saying anything else. Then she sighed and when she turned around she found Sydney staring directly at her with a mischievous smile.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sydney asked

"No… no… Aria was just a bit… upset nothing else"

"Good, I really like your friendship guys" Sydney said sincerely "It's hard to see two people that love each other so much argue that way"

"Yeah" Paige said

"Oh, are you going to eat that sandwich?" Sydney asked grabbing the plate

"It's all yours" Paige said, she waited for Sydney to grab the plate and crossed her arms over her chest as she heard the girl talking about something; but Paige's attention wasn't there, her attention was a few tables from her, where Emily was sat with a few more teachers looking discretely at her. They exchanged stares but didn't try to make a move or anything else; Paige decided to not give what happened that morning much importance and decided to return her attention to Sydney, who was now talking about swimming and Olympic games.

* * *

It was late when Paige finally got out of work, it was nearly ten o'clock, and everything was dark and lonely when she left the photography studio and stepped into the street. It had been a long day, a shitty day actually and things didn't get better at work; she had tons of thing to do and no help.

It seemed like Aria got mad seriously, because she didn't talk to Paige for the rest of the day; usually when they got mad to each other it didn't last much, they only lasted a few hours mad and then they were again talking to each other and being the best friends. But today that didn't happen. After they argument at the cafeteria Aria left, and since then, she haven't talked to Paige yet, and she obviously didn't went to the studio with her.

Aria used to go with her to work, she liked to help Paige; Aria was good with photography, she knew how everything there worked, and she understood Paige and knew how to set everything, and since she wasn't there today, Paige had to do all by herself, and it took way much time for her.

She hoped on her bike finally after closing the place and making sure that everything was in its place, and pedaled quickly to Pam's house.

She didn't forget about that invitation, and she had been actually waiting all day to see Pam, she had missed her, she missed their long talks at nights, where they sat around the kitchen table with large cups of tea and talked about everything; that had become a nice tradition for them, as well as their movie on weekends, they were traditions they built over the years, as they grew up closer to each other, Paige really felt as if Pam was her real mom, she loved her as a mother definitely, and now that she was starting to distance from her she missed her.

When she arrived to the porch, Paige saw the lights through the windows coming from inside of the house; she could hear some music on the background; Pam liked to cook with music. She hoped that she wasn't too late, Pam was not going to be mad at her for being a bit late, but Paige hated to miss time with her. She rang the bell a few times and waited for a few seconds until someone opened the door.

Paige's face went completely pale, and her heart started to beat faster when she realized that it wasn't Pam the one opening the door.

"Hi" Emily said with a gently smile; she was holding a glass of wine in her hand.

"Hi" Paige said nervously. She eyed Emily carefully for a few seconds… she still wore the same clothes than that morning, maybe she came straight to Pam's house after school… the only thing that changed was that Emily's shirt had a few buttons unbuttoned at the top revealing some cleavage… Paige's eyes went to that spot of cleavage for a moment, she stared at it and lost track of time.

"Are you going to come in?" Emily asked still smiling; Paige returned to earth and blushed intensely as she finally stepped inside of the house.

"Paige!" Pam's voice came in the room, and suddenly the tiny woman was hugging Paige tightly "We were waiting for you" She said kissing the girl's cheek.

"Sorry I'm late" Paige said softly

"Don't worry about it, I guess you got busy at work" Pam said

"Yeah, well… Aria didn't show up, so I had to set everything up by myself" Paige muttered as she sat on the couch. Emily sat at the same couch but as far as she could and Pam sat in front of them.

"She always helps you" She commented

"Yeah, well… she's busy ignoring me" Paige said.

"Oh honey, are you fighting again?" Pam asked, she placed a hand in Paige's knee and smiled "She'll be fine again tomorrow, you'll see"

"Fingers crossed" Paige said jokingly with a hint of sadness.

"You two love each other more than you like to admit" Pam said as she stood up "Just give her some time"

Paige nodded and offered a small smile as she observed how Pam walked through the living room and went to the kitchen to check the food. Once again, as a few weeks ago she and Emily were left alone in Pam's couch in complete silence.

"So… You're fighting with Aria" Emily said "What happened?" She asked. Paige eyed her and sighed while thinking the answer

"Just a stupid argument" She said finally "I guess she'll be fine soon"

"Great" Emily said

"What are you doing here?" Paige asked after a moment, she didn't really want to have any more uncomfortable silences and she knew that they'll have to talk about what happened that morning sooner or later.

"Visiting my mom" Emily said simply "It's been a few days since a I visited her, and I thought it would be a great idea"

"Oh…"

"Other than that… she might mentioned that you were going to have dinner here" Emily said smiling softly. Paige looked at her surprised; Emily moved a bit from her position until she was closer to Paige, she moved her hand and placed it atop Paige's.

"So you wanted to see me" Paige whispered as she looked at their hands.

"I've been wanting to all day" Emily said in an apologetically tone.

Paige looked at her; she actually understood Emily's point, she really did, and she felt sorry for pushing the situation in the morning, but she just felt hurt for the way Emily reacted, but now that they were there alone there was no pressure at all; Emily was relaxed and Paige liked that.

Emily leaned forward, she wanted to kiss Paige; she needed to, she had been observing her all day from afar in school and she had to keep her distance, but now they were sitting close, they were alone… she could kiss her.

Their faces were close, and Paige immediately understood what Emily wanted so she leaned forward too so she could press her lips against Emily's. Their lips were just a few inches apart, they continued leaning until they brushed their lips briefly against each other; Paige closed her eyes, and was about to go for a real kiss when they both heard steps and Pam's voice near the room.

"Okay ladies" Pam said proudly as she carried a big bowl of salad in her hands "Time to eat"

Obviously Emily and Paige pulled apart the second they heard the steps and put as much distance between them as they could; the last thing they needed was Pam catching them… that couldn't happen, Pam could never find out.

After a few seconds of shock, and after a few moments of waiting for their hearts to stop racing fast, they went to sit at the table, ready to spend a nice time and a nice dinner with Pam.

And they did; because even if it was a slight tension between Emily and Paige, they managed to put it aside for a while and just enjoy the time with Pam and have a nice time. As always Pam was in a really talkative mood and spent a lot of time telling stories, and she even managed to show them a few pictures, some embarrassing pictures of Emily and some embarrassing pictures of Paige that she had managed to have in an album over the years. That definitely made clear for Emily that Paige had a stronger bond with her mother than she imagined, Pam definitely treated her as another daughter.

The dinner lasted way more than they expected, and a few hours and a couple of bottles of wine later, they were finally collecting all the plates and cleaning the table.

"I can't believe we drank so much" Pam said as she picked up the empty wine bottles. Emily let out a laugh as she grabbed the last plates and walked to the kitchen.

"It could've been worst" Paige commented grabbing the glasses

"I have to work tomorrow…" Pam said "And you have to go to school… it was so irresponsible"

"Pam, we're not drunk" Paige said

"No, but we're not sober either" Pam commented.

"Mom its fine to be irresponsible at least once a month" Emily said as she came back from the kitchen "You need to stop worrying about that, tomorrow we'll be fine"

"We'll see that tomorrow, you need to rest properly… which reminds me… Emily, are you sure that you want to go back home tonight?" Pam asked concerned

"Yeah, it's not that far"

"It's late, you could sleep here" Pam said "You have a room"

"I'm fine mom" Emily said "Maybe Paige could use it, I don't know if it's a good idea that she has to sleep alone in her house"

She glanced at Paige with concern, she actually was going to propose that Paige could go with her, but it would be weird since Pam had way more room in her house.

"She has her own room here" Pam said; Emily looked at them curious

"Uh… yeah, Pam set the guest room for me since I used to sleep here more than I did in my house" Paige said

"The guest room?" Emily asked

"Neither of us wanted to use your room… it was yours" Pam said sadly

"Well then, I'm more relieved now that I know that you'll be safe hear instead of alone in your house" Emily said looking at Paige. Paige blushed and looked down trying to hide that fact; Pam just looked at them for a brief second and then yawned.

"I think we should go to sleep" She said "Or at least I should go to sleep, I have to get up early, and I am really tired"

"Yeah, we'll be fine here" Emily said. Pam walked to her and hugged her daughter tightly and then walked to Paige and kissed her cheek.

"And you should go to sleep soon too" She said seriously "You have to get up early, and it's late"

"I know, I'll be in bed in a while" Paige said

"Okay" Pam said a she went upstairs. She waved her hand at the girls one more time before walking to her room.

"I didn't know you had a room here" Emily said smiling as she looked at Paige who seemed now more relaxed since Pam was gone.

"Uh… yeah Pam thought that it would be better, you know just in case that I had to sleep here"

"I think that's cool" Emily said "You really care about my mom"

"I do, she helped me a lot over these years"

Emily took a few steps towards her and placed her hand on the girl's cheek softly, she looked into Paige's eyes for a few seconds and let out a sad smile

"I can't believe I wasn't here to help you…"

"It's okay" Paige said

"It isn't actually"

"You had your life in that time, and you were fighting for it"

"I was running away" Emily said sadly, she released Paige's face and took a small step back "But I can't believe I left you here and my mom…"

"Maybe if you haven't gone for all these years… now you wouldn't see me the way you do, maybe we wouldn't be… so close" Paige said, she gulped as she said the last words

"Who knows?"

"You're here" Paige said "That's all that matters to me"

Emily smiled and nodded; she knew that it was pointless to remember the past now; in the end, she couldn't change what happened, and Paige was right, now they were fine, and it felt good being with Paige.

"Come here" Emily said as she grabbed Paige by the shirt and pulled her against her body so she could kiss her.

Paige melted into the kiss; she never would get used to the amazing feeling that was kissing Emily; she couldn't just believe that, and she blushed once again when she unconsciously let out a tiny moan of pleasure. Emily smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Paige pulling her incredibly closer, one hand on her back and the other in the back of her head pulling her deeper into the kiss.

And suddenly, what started as a 'simple' kiss started to heat up and they found each other kissing desperately. Paige lowered her hands on Emily's back and slid them under the shirt, she moaned again when she felt Emily's soft skin under her fingertips.

Emily smiled again, when she felt Paige's actions, she could feel the girl's eagerness and the hunger in her kisses, but at the same time she could feel Paige's body tensing up as if she was trying to hold back something.

She was curious about that; this wasn't the first time she felt Paige tense when they kissed like this, and Emily thought that there must be some reason for it. But her mind was too clouded now to stop and ask, and other than that, she had to think the best way to ask that…

Suddenly, Emily's body didn't respond anymore, and she just started to take some steps towards the couch, moving Paige along with her, until the back of her knees collided with the couch. They fell onto it without even paying attention and just a few seconds later Emily was right on top of Paige kissing her neck and making the girl moan in pleasure.

She decided to make a bold move, and moved her hands until her palm grazed softly Paige's left breast. The contact was briefly, Emily didn't even place her hand fully there, she just ghosted her hand over the clothes revealing her intentions.

Paige was clouded by all what was happening and didn't realize at first, but then she opened her eyes and saw Emily's face… her eyes were darker than usual, her breathing was labored and obviously she noticed the slight contact on her breast… And she panicked.

This couldn't be happening now, not in a couch, not in Pam's house. It took a few seconds for Paige to react, she finally moved abruptly from her spot under Emily's body and sat on the couch putting some distance and rubbing her temples in frustration as she tried to calm her body.

She couldn't deny that she was really enjoying what was happening; she definitely loved to have Emily's body on top of hers, she loved to feel her lips on her neck, and to have her hands freely roaming around her body. But she wasn't ready; she couldn't be a disappointment to Emily…

"Paige" Emily said in a whisper. Her breathing was still a bit labored, and her appearance a bit disheveled after such a heated make out session.

"I'm sorry" Paige said a bit nervous; Emily looked at her and raised an eyebrow in confusion

"For what?" She asked

"We're in your mom's house… I don't think it's a good idea to…"

"Yeah" Emily said "I'm sorry for getting too carried away"

Paige directed her gaze to the floor and placed her hands safely on her lap, she was nervous definitely, and a bit embarrassed; her body had been reacting to the previous kissing before and she felt a slight pressure between her legs… but she didn't want to recognize that, she just preferred to play dumb.

"Paige, are you okay?" Emily asked. She combed her hair a bit, and fixed her clothes before moving closer and eyeing Paige with concern.

"Yes" Paige said

"Please, look at me" Emily pleaded. Paige blinked a couple of times until she had the courage to raze her gaze and looked at Emily.

She was waiting to find some judgement, or maybe an upset look from Emily but she didn't see any of that; actually Emily seemed really concerned about her, she wasn't judging her; she was just eyeing her with adoration and worry.

"You know it's totally okay right?" She asked with a soft voice "It's perfectly fine that you want to stop"

"I… don't know what to say" Paige mumbled

"We don't have to do anything that you don't want" Emily said seriously, she pronounced every word slowly, and looking at Paige right in the eyes to make sure that she understood. "There's no pressure here" She added.

Paige took a deep breath and nodded, she felt more relaxed now; and deep inside of her, she felt relieved. It wasn't that this was something that she didn't want… but she couldn't tell Emily the real reasons, she needed time, and she was glad that Emily was ready to wait for her.

"We said that we were going to take things slowly" Paige said, remembering their words last week.

"And we are" Emily said "We don't need to rush anything"

"Thanks" Paige said offering a shy smile

They made silence for a while, they were obviously thinking about what happened, but there were no hard feelings between them; Paige knew that Emily was being sincere when she said that she wasn't going to pressure her. How could Emily be so cute...?

They relaxed within the seconds and after a while they just decided to cuddle in the couch as they just talked about things, nothing important though, but still it felt good just to be closer and be comfortable with each other.

And finally an hour or so later Emily was gathering her stuff to go home for the night. Paige walked her to the front door in silence and they just stood there looking at each other.

"I had a really great night" Emily said finally

"Me too"

"It's good to spend time with my mom and you of course"

"Thanks, Pam is really happy now that you're here again"

"We should repeat this again" Emily said

"Totally"

"And maybe we could repeat this alone" Emily suggested. Paige looked at her confused and Emily let out a laugh as she saw how Paige blushed once again.

"I was actually inviting you on a date" Emily clarified

"A date?" Paige said "Like… you want to date me?" She said. Emily kissed her forehead lovingly and smiled.

"Yeah, only if you want, remember what I said about the pressure" Emily said

"Uh… yeah…. I mean I totally want to have a date" Paige said in a low voice

"Okay then, I'll call you to tell you all the details" Emily said.

Paige nodded and looked at Emily trying to find what to say next; she felt stupid after what happened, it wasn't as if something really bad happened actually; but Paige felt really bad for sopping Emily. And it seemed like Emily knew it, because she looked at her reassuringly all the time.

"May I kiss you?" Emily asked all of a sudden "Just a goodbye kiss, I promise" Paige considered the offer and smiled, it was ridiculous that Emily had to ask for a kiss, she could kiss her whenever she wanted.

"Of course you can" Paige said smiling.

Emily leaned closer and pressed her lips against Paige softly, this had to be a chaste kiss; and it was. They didn't deepen it, and they didn't do anything else but kiss and move their lips softly against each other's, and only for a few seconds.

When they pulled apart Emily kissed Paige's nose and smiled at her sweetly, she understood Paige; they had been 'together' only for a week, they were still knowing each other as more than friends and it was totally normal that Paige thought that they needed time, and Emily knew that they actually needed time, so it was okay. In the end Emily wasn't ready just yet to do something like that with Paige; she wanted to make sure that Paige was sure with it and she wanted to be sure herself, so the correct thing to do was start for a date, a real one, and just get to know each other better and deeper.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school" Emily said before turning around and walking through the porch.

"See you" Paige said in a soft whisper as she eyed her… she just stood there observing as Emily walked down the street, she took a few seconds to admire the woman's curves and her entire figure… Emily was so perfect… And there she was, observing her like a stalker…

"You're sick Paige McCullers" Paige mumbled to herself as she finally managed to move her gaze from Emily's body (concretely from Emily's butt). She closed the door and rested her back against it

"So damn sick" She said as she went upstairs.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: A box full of memories

 _2 years ago_

It was a warm night of summer, a little bit after midnight; the streets were surprisingly still and calmed, not long ago they were crowded with people, drunken people mostly; a crowd of students and young people that made its way to the pubs and bars around the place.

Emily was drunk… not that drunk, since she could still walk properly, but she already could feel the effects of the alcohol kicking in. And in the other hand, there was her friend Hanna; Hanna was completely drunk, Emily lost count on how much alcohol she drank but it must've been a lot since the blonde girl was having trouble to walk and to speak.

This wasn't something usual in them; well, it was in Hanna since she used to drink every weekend; Emily always had to pick her up from the pubs to drive her drunken friend home.

But this was a special occasion, Emily had finally finished her practice, she finished her first two months of being a teacher in a high school and now she could say that she had a decent career. It had been hard to get there; she had to work for almost four years in a small bar near her apartment to pay her bills and now she was finally a teacher. Obviously for the moment she was not going to work officially in a school, she wanted to take a break and gain some experience, and have some time to herself, in the end, after her break up with Maya she was starting to live again and to be happy; and actually she had a job. For the past few months she had been working at a big library and she loved that job, she loved to be surrounded by books and it was nice since she only worked in the mornings which allowed her to have free time and time for herself.

Hanna stopped suddenly and raised her gaze eyeing the long street ahead of them. She had an arm wrapped around Emily's neck as a way of stopping herself from falling, she was aware that she was really wasted, and now that they were more calmed Hanna could stop for a moment and realize that she was hungry, thirsty and more drunk that she wanted to admit. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Emily, who was inspecting the surroundings in search of a place to take a rest probably or just a way to go back home.

"I'm thirsty" Hanna said in a mumble. Emily sighed and helped her to walk a few meters more, until they finally stopped at the entrance of a bar.

"You've already drank enough" Emily said eyeing her friend

"I never drink enough"

"You're drunk Hanna"

"So are you" Hanna said smiling "And isn't it funny? We had a nice time dancing with those guys" She said shaking her hips and pushing Emily playfully. Emily let out a small laugh

"Han, you danced with those guys" She said

"Right… right… you don't dance with guys" Hanna said "But I saw you flirting with that girl at the pub"

"I wasn't flirting" Emily said

"Em, Emmy… Emily" Hanna said, she raised her hand clumsily and placed her index finger on Emily's cheek as she giggled like a little kid "There's nothing bad with meeting someone from time to time you know? Everyone needs some love"

"Not everyone can do night stands" Emily said

"Ugh, Emily sex is good for you" Hanna said

"I've had sex" Emily said in annoyance pulling Hanna apart

"Yeah, when the dinosaurs where still here on the earth" Hanna said, she reminded silent for a moment and then burst out laughing. Emily looked at her for several seconds until Hanna finally collected herself and managed to stop giggling.

"I'm glad that my sex life is so funny for you" Emily said

"Oh come on, Emily I'm just trying to help you here, I don't like to see you so lonely"

"I'm not lonely" Emily argued crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows "I have friends"

"You can't have sex with friends… you can't cuddle with friends" Hanna said

"I cuddle with you…" Emily commented

"But you don't have sex with me"

"Why would I want to have sex with you?" Emily asked. Hanna giggled once again and moved a bit so she could put an arm again around Emily's neck and support herself there.

"For your information, I am really good in bed, I could show you a great time" The blonde girl said, then she made a dramatic pause and smiled devilishly "Obviously I am not into that… lesbian thing so…" Emily looked at her confused and Hanna shrugged her shoulders "My point here is that you're always so tense and with such a bad temper…"

"I don't have bad temper" Emily said

"You need to free some tension" Hanna concluded

"That's why I go running" Emily said "And I go to the gym every day"

"Exercise is good, you're hot" Hanna said, she took a second to check Emily out from head to toe and smiled. Emily just frowned

"I'm hot, but…?" Emily asked

"You're hot… period" Hanna said simply

"Ok…"

"Exercise is not going to help you with tension, it might help, but sex is hundred times better" Hanna said

"Hanna, I really love you… but talking about sex with you is just annoying" Emily said finally

"Why? Because I'm right?"

"No because you're a pervert; and because you really creep me out when you put that weird face you always do when you talk about sex…"

"I just want you to be happy" Hanna said

"I am now" Emily said "Really"

"Ugh" Hanna said combing her hair "Okay, okay, I'll drop the issue" She said "But we had fun tonight didn't we?" She asked giggling again.

Emily looked at her, for a moment her expression was serious but within the seconds she just joined her friend's laugh and they ended up laughing for no reason at the outside of a bar in the middle of an empty, dark street.

"I think we should go back home" Emily said after a while. Hanna stopped laughing finally and looked at her.

"We can't drive" She said "My car is still a the pub"

"I could call a taxi" Emily said. She reached inside her pocket for her phone "Crap"

"What?"

"My phone died" Emily said

"Mine is in the car"

"Well, I'm kind of hungry though" Emily said

"Me too… I only ate that sandwich at your house, I'm starving"

"Come on, I'll buy you a proper dinner" Emily said helping Hanna walk to the bar "And a coffee; you need to sober up"

"I want a margarita" Hanna said

"Enough alcohol for the night" Emily said.

They stumbled into the bar clumsily and stood at the entrance for a sec as they observed the place. It was small, and surprisingly well decorated; the walls and the floor were made of wood, and there were soft lights all over the place making it cozy and warm. Emily and Hanna walked to one of the tables and sat there.

Emily kept eyeing the bar, she was intrigued about it; there were only a few people, so the atmosphere was calmed and silent, not like the pub they had been before where the music was at the highest volume possible and it was crowded.

Plus, there was a small stage, in front of the tables; Emily looked at it curiously, there was a chair on it, and a microphone… it was weird.

"And I'd love… love… to have a massive cup of coffee" Hanna said "And pancakes… and a hamburger… Emily?"

Emily turned around in and realized that the waitress was there at the table to ask for their orders. Hanna seemed to be finished since she was resting her head on the table and the waitress was looking at her. Emily for the first time since she noticed the girl's presence looked at her… and the sight blew her mind completely.

Maybe it was all the alcohol in her system; or maybe not… but she thought that she was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, ever. Those green eyes were so deep and so bright as they looked at Emily, and the long ginger hair was tied up in a pony tail that fell over her left shoulder… she was gorgeous.

"Are you going to stare at her all night, or are you going to order?" Hanna said from her spot on the table; her chin resting on one arm as she eyed Emily and the waitress. The girl let out a small laugh and Emily blushed furiously.

"Uh… I want… the same as her" She said

"A massive cup of coffee, a piece of cake, a plate of fries, a vegetal sandwich, pancakes and a hamburger?" The waitress asked. Emily was out of words; she eyed Hanna questioningly and then shook her head.

"I'll just want a sandwich and a coffee" Emily said

"They have lemon cake" Hanna whispered to Emily with a smile "You should try it"

"I'll pass" Emily said. The waitress smiled at them and walked away quickly. Emily observed as she walked and then her gaze landed in Hanna; who was looking at her with a devilish smile.

"What?" Emily asked

"You like her"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes" Hanna said "I could see the sparkles in your eyes"

"I think you like to see too much romantic comedies" Emily commented

"And I could see the sparkles in her eyes" Hanna said ignoring Emily

"Hanna stop"

"Hanna stop" Hanna said mimicking Emily's words "You can't deny what just happened… it was a connection… so beautiful"

"Hanna" Emily said "I swear to God that if you don't stop I'll-"

"I just saw the beginning of a beautiful love story" Hanna said ignoring Emily

"I hate you" Emily mumbled as she rubbed her temples.

Hanna continued rumbling about love stories until the mysterious and sexy waitress came back with their orders. Emily once again took a minute to observe her. She was dressed with tight ripped jeans; and a black v neck shirt and black boots, Emily was checking her out… and the girl noticed it since after placing the food on the table she stood next to her looking at her. Emily cleared her throat when she saw the girl looking at her and moved her gaze to the table.

"Are you gay?" Hanna asked all of a sudden to the girl. Emily's jaw dropped to the floor and she kicked Hanna under the table. Hanna mumbled a soft 'ouch' as she rubbed her leg and Emily smiled apologetically at the girl.

"I'm sorry about my friend" Emily said "She's too drunk to realize what she's saying"

"It's okay" The girl said smiling. 'What a cute smile' Emily thought 'So damn hot'

"I'm used to drunken people" She said again. Emily smiled stupidly at her and nodded. Then the girl leaned a bit until her face was mere inches from Emily's face. Emily could feel her pulse racing when she felt the girl's lips near her ear "And by the way, I am" She whispered

"You're what?" Emily asked with a trembling voice. The girl was now ready to walk away again; she stopped and smiled at Emily.

"Gay" She said "Just if you wanted to know the answer" She added. Then she walked away and Emily looked at her with her mouth opened in surprise.

"The beginning of a love story" Hanna said to a mouthful of food as she chewed on her burger

"Hanna shut up" Emily said.

They were almost finished with the food when the sound of a guitar playing on the background startled them. Emily placed her cup of coffee near her now empty plate and Hanna continued eating her pancakes as she eyed the small stage in front of them.

"She's a singer" Hanna said wiping the chocolate syrup from her mouth as she looked at Emily.

Emily was completely surprised; that ginger girl was actually sat on the chair on top of the stage playing the guitar and just a second later she started to sing… and her voice was so sweet and perfect. Emily just couldn't stop looking at her, she was so perfect, and so damn beautiful… it was like a dream; as if nothing of what happened since they arrived there was real.

The girl sang and played the guitar while everyone in the bar looked at her and listened to her; she was so perfect there as if she had been all her life singing and being in front of people… and the thing that surprised Emily the most was that the girl was looking at her. Since the moment the song started those green eyes were fixed on Emily and no one else… Emily was starting to melt under that stare…

"You should get a room" Hanna said from behind her

"What?" Emily asked without breaking eye contact

"I can hear your dirty thought from here girl, stop looking that girl like that, it's like your undressing her with your eyes"

"Hanna! Shut up" Emily said angrily

"I'm just saying…" Hanna said

"I don't need a room… but I think I could start by asking her phone number" Emily whispered as she waited for that song to end.

* * *

 _Present day_

The constant beeping of the alarm clock sounded all over the room startling Emily, who opened her eyes slowly and turned around in the bed; she reached the clock and turned it off with a groan of frustration as she rolled on the bed rubbing her eyes.

It had been a long night, a really long night actually; she had to take several pills to fall asleep and even though she had trouble to get it. Her brain was racing last night, it seemed as if suddenly a bunch of past memories were starting to come out again in her head and they didn't let Emily rest. Not even for a second.

Emily didn't know why all these memories were floating around her mind now; she didn't need to remember, she hated to remember; all she had been trying to do for the past months was forget… she only wanted to forget and start over…

The room was dark, the curtains were closed and everything was silent and so till; the only thing that Emily could hear was the traffic outside. It was so weird to be so alone suddenly; she sat on the bed finally and looked around… she was alone in her room, in an empty bed… she rubbed her eyes furiously and sighed deeply as she let the thoughts overwhelm her.

This was not a good idea; every time she let her memories and her thoughts invade her mind she always ended up bad, and she noticed that she was starting to feel bad within the seconds. Emily's breathing was ragged, she put her hands on her chest and tried to calm a bit, her heart was beating fast, really fast, and a thin sheet of cold sweat was covering her forehead and her neck.

"Fuck…" She said in a groan as she stood up from her bed, she looked around; the room seemed to be smaller now, it seemed as if the walls were starting to move making the place small and uncomfortably hot. Emily was now breathing heavily and the pain in her chest grew until she barely could stand it, she felt as if someone was putting pressure in her chest and didn't let her breath.

Fortunately she managed to arrive to the bathroom and looked around the drawers and the cupboards until she finally found her pills.

She swallowed one with the help of some water and stood in front of the mirror for a few seconds as she grabbed the sink for support.

"I hate this" She said in a whisper as she started to walk to the bed.

How did she end up like this? – It was a question she asked to herself every single day – and the truth was that she didn't have an answer… as much as she tried to forget and as much as she tried to keep moving forward, there was this big pressure and this big hold pulling her to go back every time.

By the time collapsed on her bed again she was more calmed and more relaxed; her heart was racing normally and her breathing was controlled, but her brain, for some reason, was still full of thoughts and memories, there was no pill for that. She couldn't forget those green eyes…

Her heart ached every time she remembered her, every time a memory of her popped out in her mind, every time she thought about anything related to her; her heart ached and her brain collapsed… everything was so painful and so sad. It had been a long time, but it still hurt like it was the first day. And the worst thing was that she couldn't control her dreams, she couldn't control her mind sometimes, and as much as she hated it, those green eyes… her ginger hair… her creamy skin… with those cute freckles just appeared in her thoughts every single time and destroyed her.

A tear fell down her cheek followed by a sob; Emily rolled on her stomach and buried her face in the pillow to stifle a scream. This was all she could do, cry, yell, be miserable; she couldn't do anything else…

She hugged her pillow and just reminded there crying silently and looking at the wall not wanting to move, she wasn't in the mood to be in company; she didn't want to see anyone, she didn't need anyone asking her what was wrong; she didn't need to hear anyone talking, she needed to be alone, so after a few minutes of thinking she just decided that she wasn't feeling well to go to work today.

Despite the fact that she didn't want to talk, she gained some strength and decided to call to the School to say that she was ill, and that she needed the rest of the day to take some rest and get better.

That was it; she wasn't going to do anything today, she was just going to stay in bed and cry, or maybe watch TV was a better option than cry… anyways; she didn't want to have any kind of contact with the world; she just needed to be alone.

* * *

Paige was sat at the table, outside a bar near the school, holding a mug of hot chocolate between her hands and looking through the window as she saw people passing and walking around; she let out a sigh against the cold glass and then directed her gaze once again to the table, where she and her brother were sat sharing a breakfast.

"So that was it?" Paige asked sipping her chocolate

"That was it what?" Liam asked in response

"You just brought me here to give me a box full of candy" Paige said to the small box on top of the table.

Liam had called her that morning and asked her to go have breakfast with him; Paige at first didn't thought that it was weird, in the end it was normal that her brother wanted to spend time with her since she spent the night at Pam's house. But then Liam went to pick her up to take her to the café and mentioned something about Cassie, and that she had sent some presents for them a few days ago…

"She wrote you a letter" Liam said "And there's a couple of pictures and money"

"When did you say that she sent you this?" Paige asked curiously

"Friday; she asked me to give this to you personally" Liam said

"Okay… and why didn't you give me this sooner?" Paige asked raising an eyebrow questioningly

"What do you mean sooner?"

"Liam… I was at your apartment on Sunday" Paige said

"Yeah you were" Liam mumbled

"So?"

"Well I couldn't give this to you. It's impossible to talk to you when you're a bitch" Liam said

"A bitch" Paige repeated

"Yeah, don't play dumb with me Paige McCullers, I know you better than anyone; and I know that you don't act like that for nothing"

"So you brought me here to talk" Paige said

"I brought you here because I am worried about you sis; I don't like to see you upset"

"I am not-"

"You can't lie to me, you are upset, and you know it"

"Maybe I am" Paige whispered placing the mug of chocolate on the table and looking down.

"And I just want you to know that I am here if you want to talk Paige, I am not mom; you know I don't care if you swim or not, I don't care if you have the best grades, I just want you to be happy"

"She puts a lot of pressure on me" Paige said

"I know, that's why I'm worried about you"

"You're always worried about me" Paige said smiling

"I know, it's my job"

"You're annoying sometimes"

"Yeah, but at least I understand you" Liam said "Paige you know that I always try to understand you… I always listen to you, I was there after you had your first kiss, I was there when you came out, I was there when you first got your period"

"Liam!" Paige said gesturing him to lower his voice

"What? It's true… I went to buy you sanitary napkins… I taught you how to put a tampon" Liam said

"Enough" Paige said

"Okay, but my point is that I'm always there for you, if you want to talk or something…"

"I'm okay Liam" Paige said

"It's just that I've noticed that you're weird lately, and maybe you need to talk"

"Ugh, you sound like Aria" Paige said in a growl

"Well, maybe we're right" Liam said "And if you don't want to talk to me, maybe you can talk to her"

"Impossible" Paige said "We're not talking… well, she's not talking to me"

"Okay…" Liam whispered "So that's the problem?" He asked

"Problem?"

"That's why you were so weird and so angry?"

"I am not angry" Paige said

"Whatever you say P" Liam said, he let out a smile and looked at Paige in silence for a moment

"What?"

"She's like your best friend in the whole world, she'll be talking to you again in no time" He said

"I guess"

"Come on, you've never been more than two days without talking"

"Yeah… I think now I really fucked things up" Paige whispered

"Why?"

Paige looked at her brother; he was such a good person, always so sweet with her even if she was a bitch with him; but Liam was right, he was always there for her, and since the day Cassie went to New York, he had been even closer to her; always worried and protective… and she had to lie to him…

"You're right" Paige said "I'm a bitch…"

"Don't say that"

"I am sometimes… and you know that mom… loves to infuriate me, and I think I am in an extra bad mood lately" Paige said

"So let me guess she is mad at you because you said something wrong" Liam said

"I said something wrong and maybe I didn't really talk to her, so now she's ignoring me"

"You're a good person P, and you two love each other so much, you'll be friends again soon"

"I hope so" Paige said

"And I'm sorry for pushing you the other night" Liam said finally. Paige looked at him and nodded

"It's okay" She said

"I know that you are still trying to get over Shan…" He stopped when he saw Paige's serious face "I mean your ex; and I know that you don't want to talk about girls for the moment… so sorry"

"It's okay Liam"

"Okay then, you should get going to school" He said standing up quickly "And I should go to work"

"Fine"

"Don't forget your sister's gift" Liam said, "She said you have to write her a letter in response"

"I hate her"

"You know you don't" Liam said smiling at her sister

"Okay, maybe not"

They walked through the café and Liam payed the breakfast before going outside, they walked in silence along the street until they arrived to the corner where they had to separate ways. Liam's workshop was a few streets from there and Paige's high school was just a few meters.

"Thanks for today" Paige said "It's nice to spend time with you"

"I know sis" He said cockily "I had fun too"

"Have a great day" Paige said smiling. She moved closer to her brother and hugged him tightly

"Take care" He said. Paige nodded and started to walk away "And hey!" He said; Paige turned around when she was just a few steps away and looked at him

"What?"

"Remember that you're not alone, you can always talk to me" He said

"I know"

* * *

It was nearly eleven o'clock when Liam stood at the entry of the building with sweaty hands and a racing heart. It was ridiculous how nervous he could get in these situations; he hated to be so insecure sometimes, but that was he, an insecure and shy guy who happened to have an extra confident older sister that was obsessed with being present in everyone's lives.

Because Liam wasn't at the entry of Emily's building because he wanted; actually he had been part of the morning trying to avoid this, but when he called Emily half hour ago, he was hoping that Emily was working and that she couldn't see him so probably Paige could give her the package or something… because obviously Cassie sent a box and a letter for Emily too, and obviously Liam was the delivery guy…

He took a deep breath and fixed her clothes a bit and tried to see himself in the reflex of a window to see if he was decent; he actually had exited the workshop a few minutes earlier to go home and change, he had put on a clean shirt, a nice dark jeans and had even put some cologne on… probably pathetic since Emily will never see him any different than any other guy, but at least he felt a bit more confident.

Emily had told him that she was at home and that he could go now, and give her Cassie's gift, so here he was; ready to go upstairs and nervous as hell. For his surprise the door was opened already so he rushed upstairs trying to think what to say first.

Liam stood right in front of Emily's door and observed it with a lump in his throat, it was weird; he was going to be alone, with Emily in her apartment…

"Fuck I'm sweating" He mumbled as he finally reached out a hand to ring the bell. The response came a few seconds later; he heard a soft 'coming' from inside and then finally the door opened in front of him.

Emily stood by the door; and the only thing Liam could do was just look at her completely out of words and feeling like an idiot… She was so freaking gorgeous, even when she was disheveled and dressed with sweatpants and an old shirt like she was now, and her hair was tied up in a messy bun…

"Hi" Emily said offering a smile; it took a few seconds to Liam to react, he moved nervously and smiled stupidly at her

"Hi Em" he said

"It's so good to see you here" Emily said happily; she moved quickly to hug him obviously leaving him breathless and then took a step inside of the apartment "Come in" She said

"It's good to see you too" Liam said gulping and walking inside.

Emily guided him to the living room and asked him to sit and offered him a glass of water, Liam obviously accepted everything without even thinking, he just sat on the couch and observed Emily while she moved around the room.

"So what brought you here?" Emily asked once she brought the glass of water, she placed it on the small table and sat on the couch next to Liam "You said it was important" She added.

"Uh… yeah, actually not that it is sooo important" Liam said "I just have something for you"

"I thought you came just to make a visit" Emily said jokingly "I haven't seen you lately"

"Well, I'm busy with my job" Liam said "And I have to admit that when I'm not working I'm stuck at home"

"Some things never change" Emily said with a melancholic tone

"I guess"

"I remember you were the only one that wanted to stay home every time Cassie suggested going outside" Emily said, she let out a soft laugh at the memories. She remembered Liam pretty well, he always had been this shy, quiet boy that was always playing videogames or riding his bike around. And he hadn't changed so much; he was taller, that was for sure, as a kid Emily always was a lot taller than him, she always had been a tall girl but now Liam was actually a lot of inches taller than her, but his eyes still looked the same, those big brown eyes that remembered Emily so much to Paige… it was undeniable that Paige, Liam and Cassie were siblings, they just looked so alike, that same button nose, with the big eyes; Liam had his hair a bit more lighter than her sisters, but that was the biggest difference…

"I always preferred to stay home, Cassie was always out and Paige… well you know her, she was always outside smelling the flowers and running around" He said with a smile "She pretty much still does that"

Emily smiled at this, she remembered that pretty well; Paige actually gave her a flower the first time they met, and she always wanted to explore everything.

"Yeah, Paige… is a very special girl" Emily whispered as she tried to cover the soft blush on her cheeks.

"She is; I can't believe she has to suffer so much with my mom… but she's really special" Liam said "She's stubborn as hell but really special"

"Yeah, well the stubbornness runs in the family" Emily joked, Liam eyed her for a sec and then they both laughed. Liam sat now more comfortably on the couch; the atmosphere there was now better than before, he loved to make Emily laugh… she had the most amazing smile and the most amazing laugh ever

"I guess" Liam said shrugging his shoulders

"But I am glad that Paige can have someone like you; you help her a lot" Emily said "It's pretty obvious that she adores you"

"Well, I don't like to see her suffer; she's my little sister you know? I have to take care of her no matter what" Liam said "And believe me I had to stand my mother for a long time, I totally understand that she needs a break from her"

"She's lucky to have you" Emily said

"Thanks"

"So… what do you have for me?" Emily asked curiously. Liam cleared his throat and grabbed the box Cassie sent for Emily.

"I have no idea what this is" Liam said as he handed the box to Emily "But my sister is totally obsessed with sending gifts lately; she said that she wanted to send you something special"

Emily took the box between her hands, it was considerably big, it was a big black box with a big C on the top; Emily eyed it curiously.

"Can I open it?" Emily asked

"Of course… it's yours" Liam said

Emily opened the box slowly and carefully not wanting to shake it too much since she didn't know what it was on the inside; Liam observed her from his spot on the couch and smiled brightly when he saw the surprise in Emily's eyes.

"I can't believe this…" Emily breathed out; she placed the box on her knees and eyed the inside with a big smile.

The first thing that caught her attention was the small silver bracelet, she grabbed it quickly and smiled even more at the memories; she remembered that bracelet. Cassie had bought that for her the first year they met, when they started to become really close friends, actually Cassie bought two identical bracelets, one for her and one for Emily.

"I can't believe she kept this all these years" Emily said as she held the bracelet and looked at it. Liam smiled sweetly and nodded.

"You know Cassie" He said "She always loves to keep the important things; plus I guess she always had the hope to see you again"

"This is so cool" Emily said looking at him. Then she came back to the box where she found a bunch of other things, there were a few bags of candy; some letters, a few CD's and then under that stuff there was a small black book. Emily raised her gaze to look at Liam confused and then she grabbed the book curiously.

The moment she opened it, she realized that it was an album, a small album that contained quite a lot of pictures of her and Cassie back when they were both fifteen and from all the time they spent together.

"She's been keeping all those pictures" Liam said "You know that she always loved to have good memories of people"

"I can't believe she sent this to me" Emily said

"You two were best friends, she loved you a lot" Liam said "And she still does so…"

"Thank you" Emily said finally with a grin. Liam looked down a bit blushed and nodded "Really, I can't believe that after all these years you and your sisters are still so nice to me"

"The past is the past" Liam said

"Yeah"

There was a silence after that, while Emily eyed the pictures and smiled at the memories; Liam reminded sat and still until he finally looked at the clock and remembered that he had to go back to work.

"I… should go" He said quickly as she stood up

"Oh, well" Emily stood up too and they walked to the door "Thank you so much for bringing me this"

"It was nothing" Liam said "I'm glad that you're around again"

Emily hugged him tightly and Liam felt his heart racing faster than ever when he felt the sweet smell of Emily's hair, he swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to stay calm; Emily was gay, she would never see him any other way than the brother of her best friend…

"You should come and visit me some other time" Emily said "You know, feel free to come and say hi whenever you're around"

"I will" Liam said nodding nervously.

He waited for Emily to close the door and walked with rushed steps downstairs trying not to think too much about everything; Emily was still as beautiful as when she was fifteen years, she was even more stunning than then; and she was probably more gay than then too… he definitely had to stop thinking about her.

* * *

Paige stepped into the cafeteria with decision; she tightened her grip on her back, took a deep breath and looked around in search of Aria.

It had been a long day, first of all she had two exams, and a really boring class, and throughout those classes she couldn't help but notice that Aria was still ignoring her. And Paige was starting to feel a bit annoying about it; they had argued in the past obviously, and Aria had stopped talking to her too but she never ignored her for more than half a day, and now she didn't talk to her since yesterday. Paige was annoyed by the situation; she could understand that Aria was angry at her for not telling her the truth, but she wanted her best friend back.

Finally after taking a deep breath and spotting Aria at one of the tables near the wall; Paige walked quickly and with decision to her. She was not going to let her friend ignore her for another class; she had had enough with Sydney following her around all morning, so she missed Aria…

"I want to talk" Paige said with a harsh tone as she stood in front of Aria looking at her with a defiant glare.

Aria swallowed the piece of apple she had been chewing on and raised her gaze surprised to see Paige standing up right in front of her. Paige just folded her arms and eyed her at first silently.

"So you're in the mood now?" Aria asked simply, she took a bite of the apple and looked past Paige, trying her best to seem unaffected.

"I'm not in the mood" Paige said angrily "You're not in the mood, but I am not going to let you ignore me"

"No one's ignoring you" Aria said sharply. Paige sighed; she let her bag fall from her shoulders and placed it on the floor near the table while she moved to sit on the chair. Aria observed her silently as she finished her apple.

"No one's ignoring me, my ass" Paige said

"Rude" Aria said "Are you on your period or what?"

"Aria!" Paige growled. Aria bite her lower lip to suppress a laugh and then turned her face into a serious expression again. She actually was done ignoring Paige; but she loved to see her friend trying to apologize, so she didn't say anything.

"Okay" Aria said "You want to talk"

"Yeah"

"So talk"

"Okay" Paige said

"So?" Aria encouraged her

"Fine, I am going to say it…" Paige mumbled "I'm sorry, okay? I am sorry"

"For what?" Aria pushed as she looked at Paige now directly. Paige dipped her head and sighed

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately… and for how I talked to you yesterday"

"You were a real pain in the ass you know that?" Aria said with a hurt tone

"I know" Paige agreed

"I just can't understand why you don't trust me to talk" Aria said

"I do trust you, believe me"

"Why are you being so distant lately then?" Aria asked

"Look I am very stressed okay… and I really want to talk, really" Paige said, she rubbed her temples and looked at her friend with sadness; she really needed to talk about what she was feeling now, she just hated to be lying to everyone, but it felt wrong to talk about Emily. How Aria will react if she knew about it?

"You can tell me everything" Aria said

"I know, and I know that you are the only one that understand me sometimes, but you know it's just that my mom's pressure… Emily being back again… there's a lot of things now and…"

"Emily?" Aria asked

"Ms. Fields" Paige corrected

"I know who Emily is; it's just that the way you've been talking about her lately is weird"

"I don't talk about her" Paige said

"You never called her Emily" Aria said

"Well, she's Pam's daughter, she's been hanging out with Pam lately and I have been hanging out with Pam lately… so I guess I can't call her Ms. Fields when she's with her mom" Paige said

"I guess" Aria said "So you've been seeing her out of the school" She added nonchalantly.

"Yeah" Paige said nervously. Aria said nothing at first; she observed Paige carefully for a moment and then cleared her throat. She was still aware that Paige was different, and that she was hiding something, so she had to find out what the problem was.

"It's okay Paige" Aria said finally offering a smile "I forgive you"

"Really?"

"Of course, I wasn't even mad at you anyways" Aria said with a laugh

"So you've been ignoring me all day just because you wanted me to apologize?" Paige asked confused

"You know I hate when you're so distant with me" Aria said

"Okay" Paige mumbled

"But promise me that you're going to stop acting so distant" Aria said seriously. Paige looked at her and nodded softly

"Promised" She said "This means that you're going to sit with me in the next class?" She asked

"Why? Sydney seems more than glad sitting next to you" Aria commented

"Ugh, don't misunderstand me; she's nice, but she's really clingy"

"Don't worry" Aria said laughing "I'll sit next to you… I haven't done my homework actually… you can help me"

"It's okay; Emily doesn't ask for our work until the end of the class"

"Yeah, so you can help me finish it until _Emily_ finishes the class" Aria said accentuating the name so she could see Paige's reaction. Paige reminded silent and just nodded. After a few seconds the bell rang and they both stood up and grabbed her stuff to go to class.

Paige noticed that Aria wasn't smiling anymore, she picked up her books and walked next to her but in complete silence; it was weird since Aria always talked nonstop about how stressed she was or about just anything, Paige was starting to think that her friend was still a bit mad…

* * *

They arrived to the classroom pretty much the first ones, the place was still empty so they walked to their sits and sat there, Aria finally started to talk a bit about the paper they had to write for the class. Within the seconds the rest of the students arrived to the classroom until they were all in their sits.

Paige stopped paying attention to Aria when she realized that actually the class was full, and there was no sign of Emily… that was weird, Emily always was there the first one, and she never arrived late, she used to be there in the class just reading some book or correcting some exams.

After a few more minutes, some people had started to ask if the teacher was going to arrive, or if they were going to have a free hour… Paige was starting to get really worried and Aria despite of her nonchalant attitude was starting to notice it, she saw the way Paige glanced to the door from time to time and the way she frowned in worry when she eyed the desk.

Finally the door opened and Mr. Fitz stepped into the class silently. Everyone made silence as they watched Ezra walk to the center of the class; he clapped his hands and offered a warm smile before talking.

"Okay guys" He said "I know that you have history class now, with Ms. Fields, unfortunately she's a bit sick today, so I'm aware that you have some work for her, so you might finish it now"

Everyone fell silent for a moment and then a soft murmur started to rise in the class; Ezra sat at the desk and pulled out a book and some papers and started to read while he observed the students from time to time. Aria grabbed her books and started with the paper she had to finish, Paige just directed her gaze to her table and pretended to be reading; obviously she was worried.

She had seen Emily yesterday, and she was fine… what happened to her? Maybe she was overreacting and Emily was just a bit sick and that was it, but Paige felt the need to run, and go see her to make sure that she was okay.

Suddenly, the day turned painfully slowly for Paige; after lunch break she only had three more classes before going home. The first one was history, and since she saw that Emily wasn't there she started to get worried and all she wanted to do was finish so she could go visit her.

After being almost an hour under Mr. Fitz's gaze the bell finally rang again and Paige walked quickly to her math class, she arrived the first one to the classroom so she was able to sit in the last row. And as she had expected the class passed painfully slowly; the teacher spent almost the entire time explaining and talking nonstop while Paige drummed her fingers against the table nervously, and when she heard the bell ringing again she sighed in frustration when she realized that she had one more class.

She once again sat in the last row of the classroom; she wasn't going to pay any attention so she didn't need to be close to the teacher.

As the seconds passed she grew impatient and after checking a few times that the teacher was not looking at her she put out her phone and decided to text Emily quickly.

-I haven't seen you at school today. Everything okay?-

She placed her phone on her knees under the table and looked at the blackboard pretending to listen. Aria was sat next to her, eyeing her curiously; Paige was acting really weird today, first of all she got all nervous and worried and now she was texting someone, she never used her phone in class; Paige was always the one that had to tell Aria to stop looking at her phone… so what had changed?

The slight vibration signaling that she had a new text startled Paige a bit; she waited until the teacher turned around to keep writing on the blackboard and read the text.

-Everything okay, I was just a bit sick- That was all the text said. Paige felt a bit relieve since she knew now that Emily was not that sick and composed a quick text before the teacher looked at her again.

-Thank God, I was really worried. Do you mind if I come over after school? - She wrote. She let out a soft smile when she saw the quick response.

-It's not necessary, I'm sure you have better things to do… which reminds me, aren't you supposed to be in class? - Paige suppressed a laugh and looked around to check if someone was looking at her.

-I am in class. Only I find talking to you more interesting than my math's problems. And I don't have anything better. I need to see you-

The response this time didn't arrive so quickly; Paige finally stopped bothering about who could catch her and stared at her phone waiting for Emily to reply. She actually needed to see her; she didn't just want to go to her apartment to check if she was okay, she needed to see her, to be near her; to talk to her… anything.

-You seem pretty decided to come here, I don't think I can say anything to stop you- Paige smiled and nodded

-Yep, I am going to come over anyways, so you'll better be ready- Paige wrote that without really thinking about the double meaning. She only noticed it when she read the text a couple of times and saw Emily's response

-Are you going to show me a great time McCullers?- Paige blushed intensely, she literally felt her cheeks and her ears turning read and also could feel a warm sensation growing up inside her body. She gulped audibly and sighed nervously.

-You know I was just kidding right? - Emily wrote again, probably she noticed how much Paige lasted to answer and she decided to calm her. Paige read the text and felt actually a bit bad; she could've responded to the flirt, in the end it was nothing too important, Emily was just joking… But Paige just got to nervous and tense when she read the texts.

-I know, and be sure that I'll show you a really good time- Paige decided to relax and just play along with it.

-I'll be waiting for you then, I really need to see you too- Emily texted back. Paige read the last line a few times before locking her phone again. She couldn't avoid the big stupid smile that crossed her face in that moment; she was sure that she seemed like an idiot now but she didn't care. How a simple text could make her so happy… Emily needed to see her… that was all she needed to know.

The bell finally rang; Paige didn't even wait for the teacher to finish talking, she just stood up as fast as she could and picked up her stuff. Aria mimicked her, trying to follow Paige's pace and exited the class right behind her.

"Paige" She yelled. Paige was literally running to the exit. "Paige!"

Paige heard her name and stopped abruptly turning around to see Aria standing behind her with a confused look.

"What?" Paige asked, she gestured Aria to speak quickly

"Where the hell are you going now?" Aria asked simply

"I have something to do" Paige answered "I have to go now"

Aria frowned and folded her arms as she sighed in frustration; she already knew how this was going to end, Paige probably wasn't going to tell her anything, again.

"So, this is it, you have to go and you're not going to tell me what's wrong"

"Nothing's wrong" Paige said

"Paige, you've been acting lately ever since lunch time. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Aria… I'm fine, really I'm fine, but I have to go" Paige said

"I just thought that you'd want to hang out… you know after we've been without talking to each other and that stuff" Aria said a bit hurt. Paige rubbed the back of her neck and looked at her apologetically.

"Aria…"

"I get it… you have more important things to do" Aria said "It's okay, go"

"Aria I'm…"

"Bye Paige" Aria said without even looking at her. She turned around and walked outside the school without turning around. Paige stood in that same spot for a moment a bit confused and feeling really guilty. Aria was her best friend, and she just hurt her, again… seeing Aria so hurt actually made Paige's heart ache; but she still needed to go and see Emily.

Finally after a few seconds of meditation she shook all the negative thoughts out of her head and exited the school with rushed steps.

She hadn't brought her bike with her since Liam had picked her up that morning so she had to walk; Emily's apartment wasn't really far so it was okay, she actually would have time to think on her way. She walked through the streets quickly, her hands tucked in the pockets of her jeans and her gaze fixed on the floor. She wondered how Aria would be feeling… she felt bad for her.

She knew that probably her friend was going to be really mad at her tomorrow, and probably for the rest of the week; Aria was a sweet person but she could be really rancorous, and she was probably going to be angry with Paige for a while.

* * *

When Paige finally arrived to Emily's building she took a deep breath and smiled; she loved the smell there, the smell of sweet bakery coming from the brew was amazing and now that she knew that she was going to see Emily she just forgot about everything else. What she didn't know was that Aria was observing her from afar, hidden behind of a car…

Aria knew Paige really well; she knew her as if she was her sister, she knew Paige even better than she knew her brother Mike; that was a fact; they had spent a lot of time together, they knew each other and Aria could read Paige better than anyone. Paige was like an open book for her. And that's why she was so damn worried about her friend, she was used to see Paige upset, it was something that she had get used to over the years. Aria knew very well that Paige and her mom were always fighting and that Paige was more affected by that than she liked to admit. But the thing here was that Paige was really hiding something, no matter what she always had talked to Aria, they always talked about everything and Paige was never so mysterious about her mother, she actually never needed to hide anything, she always told Aria every single argument she had with Claire and they always talked about their problems… so Aria couldn't help but wonder what was really happening with Paige. She had been acting weird lately, she never had free time, she never had time to talk to Aria, she never even called her… so after seeing Paige so weird today Aria decided to take matters in her own hands and follow her.

At first she thought that Paige was going to go to Liam's house, but then she realized that she had stepped into another street, and then they ended up in front of the Brew… Aria saw that Paige stopped in the building right next to the Brew and stood there for a few seconds. She decided finally to hide behind of a car and observed Paige's movements.

"Where the hell are you going…" Aria mumbled as she saw how Paige rang a bell and entered the building.

Aria remembered something then; a slight memory came to her mind and for a second she refused to believe it; there must be some explanation… she remembered that day at the Brew, when they saw Ms. Fields walking in and Aria said hi to her. Paige had said that Emily lived next to the Brew…

"That's impossible" Aria said to herself. That couldn't just be possible. She saw that Paige was finally gone and she decided to walk back home. Only this time she had even more doubts, her brain was collapsed, she couldn't believe what she just saw, and she hopped that everything was a misunderstanding and that it all had an explanation.

"It has to be impossible" She mumbled as she walked away.

Emily opened the door quickly and a bright smile crossed her face when she saw Paige finally arriving upstairs. The girl stopped there and they both looked at each other in the eyes.

"Hi" Paige said happily as she blushed. Emily grabbed her by the hem of her shirt and pulled her against her body

"Come here" She mumbled as she closed the door behind them and pressed Paige against it attacking her lips hungrily and with passion.

Paige was surprised by the sudden assault but obviously didn't complain; she was more than happy to see that Emily was okay and even happier to feel the woman's lips against hers.

"Wow" Paige said once Emily pulled apart for a moment "I bet you're glad to see me" She added.

Emily smiled and grabbed Paige by the hand pulling her into the house. Paige was right though, she was really, really and sincerely more than glad to see her; it was like she actually needed to. This morning Emily was a mess, a mess of tears, a mess of emotions, a mess of hurt; and she had been trying to convince herself that she wanted to be alone, that she didn't want to have anyone near; in the end she could cry better when no one was around. But as the day passed she just realized that she actually didn't want to be alone, and that even if she didn't want to interact with many people, there was just one person that she really wanted to see. And that person was Paige.

They walked into the living room in silence and Emily gestured Paige to sit on the couch. They both sat there and for a moment they just looked at each other without words.

Being completely honest, Emily was still feeling a bit weak from this morning, she had cried a lot, and her head hurt; and also, whenever she had an anxiety attack, she always felt so weak and so drowned after it… Paige observed her for a minute and then moved closer to her, she reached out her hand to place it on Emily's thigh and smiled gently at her.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked in concern. Emily looked at her and smiled trying not to seem so affected, she didn't want Paige to see her like that; Paige couldn't see her so broken and so miserable.

"I'm fine" She answered finally

"I was really worried when I didn't see you at school" Paige admitted, she blushed a bit and dipped her head shyly.

"I wasn't feeling well this morning" Emily said; Paige frowned and kept looking at her "Head ache"

"Did you go to the hospital?" Paige asked

"No, I'm fine… I just had some pills and went back to bed"

"Intense head ache is never good… you should go so they can check you or something" Paige said

"Paige, I'm fine" Emily said smiling "Really I was just a bit stressed out and then I had a head ache, I am okay now"

"Okay" Paige said. Emily smiled at her and cupped her cheek lovingly

"I'm fine now that you're here" Emily whispered.

They stayed in silence again. Emily was really tempted to lean forward and kiss Paige, she really wanted to, she could see perfectly those pink lips… so inviting and all she was do was kiss them nonstop. But then she remembered what had happened yesterday, they got carried away with the kissing, and that bothered Paige so maybe it wasn't a good idea to start with a make out session just yet.

"Do you want some coffee?" Emily asked standing up quickly, Paige immediately missed the contact of Emily's hand but took a deep breath and nodded

"Yeah" She said

"I'll be right back" Emily said as she walked to the kitchen and opened the drawers in search for the coffee. Paige watched her as she moved in the kitchen, it wasn't as if the apartment was so big so the kitchen was just a few steps from the living room and the only thing separating them was the big wood counter so Paige sat comfortably on the couch enjoying the view of her… Emily, preparing the coffee.

Emily grabbed the two mugs of coffee and a package of donuts and some cupcakes she had bought last week for what she called 'an emergency' she was really strict with her diet most of the time, she was aware that she wasn't as young as before but a bit of chocolate from time to time didn't hurt anyone.

She walked back to the living room and placed everything on the small table in front of Paige, and then she sat next to her again.

"Are we going to eat all this?" Paige asked surprised, Emily grabbed a donut with chocolate frosting and bite it slowly as she offered a guilty smile

"Do you have any problem?" Emily asked after swallowing. Paige let out a laugh and shook her head.

"Coach is going to kill me if she finds out that I've been eating this"

"Paige, you eat like a boy" Emily commented "Are you seriously complaining about this?"

"You're right" Paige said, she grabbed a cupcake and enjoyed the soft taste of chocolate. Emily eyed her lovingly; she looked so cute with her eyes closed as she chewed on the cupcake.

"But just promise that you're not going to tell anything to Coach Fulton" Paige joked

"I wouldn't dare" Emily said

"Good"

Paige took a big bite and smiled at Emily who was just looking at her as she ate; they fell into a comfortable silence for a while, until Paige's gaze went to the small table in front of the couch. There was a box… a similar box to hers, only bigger… she eyed it for a second and then she looked at Emily.

"What's that?" She asked curiously. Emily looked at the box and smiled softly

"Liam was here this morning" She said

"My brother?"

"Yes" Emily said "He said that Cassie has been sending presents to us so he had to come here and give me mine"

"So Cassie made a box for you too" Paige said "I really don't know what's got into her"

"It's nice actually" Emily said, she leaned forward and grabbed the box to show it to Paige. "It's been a long time since I've seen all these memories"

She grabbed once again the small album and handed it to Paige. Paige frowned once she saw the dark cover and opened it curiously; Emily observed her as she watched the first pictures and then smiled brightly when she saw Paige's surprised face.

"Wow" Paige mumbled under her breath

"Do you remember that?" Emily asked. The first picture that appeared was one of Emily and Cassie on the McCullers back yard one cold day of winter, the background was completely white since that year had snowed a lot; they were both laughed as they held small snow balls, it was a nice picture… Paige saw what Emily was pointing at and let out a laugh. Emily was signaling to her head, more concretely to a red wool cap she wore that day.

"God of course I remember it" Paige said as she let out a laugh

"Cassie made this for me" Emily said between laughs

"Yeah and I can't believe you actually put that in your head… it was horrible"

"I don't know… she was so excited about it" Emily said

"You seemed really happy here" Paige commented

"It was a good day"

"And you were so young" Paige whispered. Emily slapped her playfully on the shoulder and frowned

"Are you calling me old?" She asked

"Of course not" Paige said "I wouldn't dare" She joked.

They watched a few more pictures, it was amazing that Cassie had kept all the pictures over all these years and that she decided to give them to Emily, there were such good memories graved on those pictures; there were pictures of Cassie and Emily, Cassie and Liam, Emily alone, all of them at the park, at the pool… so much memories.

"Look at this" Emily said, she turned one of the lasts pages and pointed to a picture that pretty much filled the entire page. Paige observed it for a moment and then blushed a bit at the memory.

She recognized herself on the picture, but at a very young age, probably five or six years; and Emily, they were sat on the grass, in Paige's back yard and Paige was kissing Emily's cheek lovingly.

"That was the day of your birthday" Said Paige

"Yeah, my mom had to work, so I planned to stay home all day… and then your sister dragged me out of my house and took me to your yard"

"We prepared a picnic for you" Paige said in a low voice. Emily smiled and nodded

"It was a memorable day"

Paige smiled at the picture and then closed the book before placing it on the table again. Emily took a deep breath and approached Paige a bit so she could place her hand on her cheek, she stroked the skin gently and then moved in to kiss her.

Their lips connected softly at first, tenderly and chastely, Emily didn't even know why she was kissing Paige, she just needed to. After all they hadn't seen each other in all day and now that they were closer it felt right to do this.

Paige was a bit surprised at the action, not that she was going to complain, she moaned at the sensation of Emily's soft lips and her chocolate taste and opened her mouth a bit allowing their kiss to deepen for a few seconds.

"Stay the night here" Emily mumbled between kisses. Paige smiled against her mouth

"It's not even six o'clock" Paige said. Emily rested her forehead against the girl's and shrugged her shoulders

"We can order a pizza, or some Chinese… maybe watch a movie or whatever you want" Emily said "Just… stay here with me" She said.

Paige frowned in worry for a second, she eyed Emily's expression and for a brief moment she saw sadness, and hurt. Actually Emily's words didn't even sound as a question, it was more like a plea… She felt the sudden need to ask, but she didn't really know what she should ask for, maybe she just imagined it.

"I'd love that" Paige whispered.

Emily sighed in relief. She felt content about Paige wanting to be there with her, but she felt a bit guilty though; she didn't want to be alone, she might thought at first that being alone was a good idea, but now that she had Paige's company, she didn't wanted that to end. She really didn't want to go back to being alone in her apartment with nothing better to do than watch TV and eat junk food; she preferred to do that with Paige…

"So what's the plan?" Paige asked finally pulling apart and putting some distance between them.

"Well, actually there's no plan today" Emily said stretching out a bit "We can do whatever we want, so you can choose, movie time… pizza time… walk time"

"You want to go outside?" Paige asked raising an eyebrow. She eyed Emily carefully, she was wearing a baggy grey sweatpants, a white tank top that… by the way fit perfectly all her curves and she was barefoot… she didn't seem like she was ready to go out

"Well… I actually prefer to stay here" Emily commented "You know, it's a bit cold outside"

"Yeah, so I think it's the perfect weather for movie time" Paige said suggestively. Emily smiled at her and nodded happily

"You choose the movie, I'll go make popcorn"

* * *

The afternoon passed quickly for both of them. It was amazing how the time flew whenever they were together, and it was also amazing how relaxed Emily felt whenever she was near Paige, or whenever she got to be alone with the girl; like today, there were just them, no one else that could interrupt them, just Paige and Emily.

Movie time turned out to be longer than expected; when Emily went to make popcorn, Paige turned the TV on to see if she could find something interesting to see, and after a few minutes of changing the channels she found an interesting movie, it wasn't the best movie she had ever seen, but after that one it started another one that was actually pretty good.

Emily sat next to her, holding the popcorn bowl and then, when they finished eating she just wrapped her arms around Paige and held her as they watched the movie in a comfortable silence. Paige rested her head on Emily's chest contently and smiled when she heard the soft change in the woman's heart bit, it turned a bit faster…

And that pretty much was what they did until almost nine o'clock. The third movie ended finally and they sat on the couch as the credits rolled on the TV screen. Paige stretched out and smiled happily as she yawned

"Are you ready for the fourth?" Paige joked as she turned the volume down. Emily glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and laughed

"Are you kidding me?" She said "I'm more than ready" She said faking seriousness "But I think we should eat something first"

"I agree… I really love popcorn but I am seriously starving"

"We can always order something" Emily said

Paige nodded frantically and stood in a jump, she walked to her phone that was on the kitchen counter and unlocked it. She was about to ask Emily what she wanted when she felt the woman's arms sliding around her waist from behind.

Emily pressed her body against Paige in one movement and kissed the crook of the girl's neck softly.

"W-what do you want to order?" Paige asked nervously. Feeling the sudden proximity; and the warmth of Emily's body made her knees weak.

"What do you think about pizza?" Emily said still holding Paige tight. Paige smiled, and nodded finally

"Okay then" She said

Emily released her hold on the girl's body and walked again to the couch. Paige immediately missed the contact, she missed the warmth of Emily's body, and how great it felt pressed against hers…

But she quickly kicked those thoughts out of her mind; she didn't need to think about that, they were taking things slowly, and think all day about intimate contact was not a good way to maintain things slowly.

Emily just sat on the couch quickly changing the TV channels randomly as she listened to Paige talking on the phone; she couldn't avoid but think about what happened, the way Paige tensed up, again, when she hugged her. She was aware that they needed to take things with calm, but she wondered why Paige was always so tense and so scared when they made out, or just when Emily touched her.

"The pizza will be here in twenty minutes" Paige announced, she walked back to the couch and sat there facing Emily.

"Okay, so what do you want to do until then?" Emily asked "Want to pick another movie?"

"Are you still in the mood for another one?" Paige joked

"Well, I'm in the mood to be with you, so I am ready to do whatever you want"

"Whatever I want" Paige repeated. Emily looked at her and nodded silently. Once again Paige tensed up… whatever she wanted included tons of possibilities…

Emily placed her hand on Paige's thigh and smiled gently at her. Paige gulped and directed her gaze to the hand lingering on her jeans. She felt for a second the need to jump Emily, and let herself go; she felt the need but tried to hide it quickly and just stared at her not knowing what to say.

"I wish you could relax when you're here" Emily whispered, she had removed her hand from Paige's leg and now it was on the girl's cheek making her look at Emily.

"I'm relaxed" Paige said nervously

"Nothing bad is going to happen" Emily continued "Nothing that you don't want"

"I know that" Said Paige. She looked down for a second and then leaned forward until her forehead was pressed against Emily's "I'm just scared…" She said that in a low whisper, Emily barely heard her at first, but she knew what she wanted to say.

Emily moved her hand to the back of Paige's neck, and her other hand traveled slowly to the small of the girl's back pulling her closer and closer. Paige didn't resist, she definitely wanted to kiss Emily so she pressed her lips against hers tenderly.

Paige wanted to stop thinking too much, she wanted to let go; she felt safe with Emily, she felt as if she could be herself with her, it was amazing the effect Emily always had on her and she felt bad for being so scared and so tense whenever she was around her. So this time she wanted to show Emily how much she wanted her, even if she was scared…

She wanted to give all she had in that kiss so, she quickly started to dictate the pace of it, they started slowly, but with force. Emily allowed Paige to lead the kiss so after a few seconds she opened her mouth and allowed Paige to slid her tongue softly and deepen the kiss. Paige moaned involuntarily when she felt Emily's hand sliding carefully under her shirt and decided to start kissing faster.

This only could wait in one way, Paige knew that and Emily knew it too. Things were heating up but this time it was different; Paige wanted to focus only on Emily, she only wanted to focus on their joined lips and on their kiss. So she decided to slow down a little bit but just so she could enjoy every second.

Emily after a moment ended up grabbing Paige by the hips and pulling her onto her lap, it was easier to kiss in that position, plus Emily thought it was hot to have Paige like that, so close to her…

Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, and concentrated in the woman's lips. She bite Emily's lower lip softly before sucking it gently, and then moved to her upper lip. Emily moaned when she felt Paige running her tongue along her bottom lip again and tightened her grip on her pulling her deeper into the kiss.

For Emily this was too much. It might be a slow kiss that other times, but it was definitely more sensual and more heated than the others; not only because Paige was leading it, it was the fact that she could feel the girl's hunger in that kiss; she could feel Paige's desire and passion in that kiss, and that turned Emily on in an incredible way. She felt heat building in the pit of her stomach and a warmth sensation between her legs; her body was reacting to all the kissing… and she wasn't sure if that was correct now.

But the thing was that she had lost all her power to stop; she was gone now that Paige was starting to kiss her a bit faster.

Paige moved from Emily's lips to her neck, it was a bold movement, and she didn't really know why she was doing that, but she didn't stop. She graced her lips along Emily's jaw line and then placed small kisses on her neck and behind her ear.

Emily let out a throaty moan and closed her eyes at the pleasure… what had gotten into Paige? She suddenly was so confident…

"Paige…" Emily let out the name as a moan and then she just couldn't take it anymore.

Emily changed positions in a quick movement. She lifted Paige easily since she was sat on her lap and then laid her on the couch gently and positioned her body on top of the girl's not losing eye contact. For a second she thought that Paige was going to stop her; but the girl just looked at her and opened her legs allowing her to position her body in between them.

Their lips connected again, this time harder; Emily wasn't in the mood for chaste, or slow anymore, she wanted to take Paige right there, that was all she could think about, and Paige's tiny moans, and the way she clenched on her back wasn't helping at all.

And in the other hand, Paige was completely gone too, she loved how Emily kissed her and how she touched her, she just loved everything about her, and she really wanted to do more. She closed her eyes as Emily kissed a sensitive spot on her neck and wrapped her arms tightly around Emily… how could she stop that? It felt so right… but she didn't know if she was ready, she knew that she wasn't ready but she wanted to at the same time… everything was so confusing.

Emily was about to lose it completely; she was on top of Paige, kissing her and hearing her moan in response to her touch. All she wanted to do was to rip her clothes off and keep kissing her until the morning, but she remembered that she had promised Paige to wait. Now she knew that they couldn't take things slowly, but at least she could respect Paige's wishes even if that meant stop when she was so horny and turned on.

"Paige" She mumbled between kisses. She placed her hand on Paige's cheek again and looked at her. Paige opened her eyes when she saw Emily stopping and moved to kiss her again, but Emily moved her face a bit.

"We have to stop" Emily mumbled

Paige let out a growl, her heart was biting fast; her entire body was on fire, and her stomach was filled with butterflies… she didn't want to stop; she kept saying to herself that she wasn't ready but she didn't want to stop Emily.

Emily could see the sudden tension and the sudden fear in Paige's eyes and smiled gently at her; she understood the girl now. Paige was troubled about all this; as Emily, she knew that the sexual tension between them was really intense, but at the same time she wanted to go slow, and wait a bit; and every time they said that they were going to wait, they ended up lying on some surface in a… not so chaste position.

"I don't know if I want to stop" Paige said in a low and trembling voice. Emily looked at her understanding and placed a lock of auburn hair behind the girl's ear

"I know" She said "But remember what I said about the pressure… I am not going to pressure you"

"I'm sorry for all this" Paige whispered. Emily eyed her confused for a moment

"Sorry for what?" She asked

"For stopping you every time" Paige said. She gulped quickly when she noticed a lump forming in her throat, she didn't want to cry, not now…

"Paige, this isn't your fault okay?" Emily said "Besides, you didn't stop this time. I did, and I am not going to be mad at you or anything else for stopping"

Paige nodded, Emily decided to put some distance and moved a bit so she could sit again, only when she went to make the move Paige tightened her grip on her body making her stay on her place.

"Don't" Paige whispered "This feels good"

Emily let out a smile, she adjusted her body atop Paige's and placed her head on the girl's chest while she heard her heart bit, she didn't know why Paige felt so tense about being intimate, but she definitely wasn't in a rush for taking the next step; she was ready to wait even if it had to be a long time.

"I just want you to relax, and be comfortable when you're here with me" Emily said "So there is no rush"

"I know" Paige said "I'm just so nervous sometimes…"

"Why?" Emily said curiously, she moved her head and rested her chin on Paige's chest so she could make eye contact with her

"It's… a long story" Paige said nervously

"You can tell me anything" Emily encouraged her. Paige nodded but said nothing at that moment, she didn't know if she wanted Emily to know what happened with Shana…

They both were startled by the sound of the intercom. Emily jumped off the couch and went to open the door and Paige sat quietly as she thought about what to do. Emily was now her… what was Emily to her now? What was she to Emily? Were they girlfriends? Were they friends with benefits? Paige didn't really saw Emily as a friend anymore… but either way; Emily was now one of the most important persons in her life, and she deserved to know the truth.

"Okay" Emily announced a while later as she carried to boxes of pizza "Which one do you want to start with first? Pepperoni… or bacon and cheese?"

"Uh… I don't know, you chose" Paige said smiling.

Emily placed the boxes on the table and sat on the couch again; she turned to see Paige first and offered a smile.

"So… this is kind of a date right?" Paige asked

"I don't know" Emily commented "I kind of wanted to have a special first date with you"

"Special?"

"I told you I was going to take you on a date" Emily said as she cut the pizza "And I am; on Wednesday"

"Wednesday?" Paige asked confused

"Yeah, your parents are out right?" Emily asked

"Yes, they work the night shift this week"

"And do you have anything better to do?" Emily asked

"No…"

"So, Wednesday at eight"

"I'll be here" Paige said

"Cool" Emily said back

"So now, we're just having a pizza night" Paige joked "Not a date, just movies and a pizza"

"Kind of, yes"

"It sounds like a date" Paige pointed as she took a bite of her slice of pizza.

"It sounds like it yes… but wait until our first real date" Emily said looking at her suggestively. Paige blushed and smiled shyly

"I can't wait" She said, Emily leaned forward and kissed her cheek lovingly

"Me neither"

* * *

 **So... there are only 4 chapters left until the new ones can be posted so stay tunned because a new chapter will be posted on Monday :)**

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

 _Everything was bright, the surroundings, the room, the furniture; everything, it felt strange to be there, it felt as if she was floating now. Emily looked down at her feet and realized that she was standing in the middle of a bar, it was all so weird, and it felt so familiar; she took a few steps and then became aware of the small stage in front of the tables, she was back in that small bar in California._

 _She moved around for a bit; she haven't been there in ages, she almost forgot how it felt to be there… until now. A smile formed on her face when she remembered some things she lived there; definitely really nice memories… and then, all of a sudden she heard a few steps behind her._

 _Emily turned around, a bit startled but relaxed immediately when she saw that familiar figure taking a sit on the stage._

 _That ginger hair… and those green eyes that were staring directly at her made her completely breathless; she observed how the girl grabbed a guitar and got ready to play it._

 _"I'm going to play a song for you" She said with a sweet voice._

 _Emily opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, she literally couldn't speak… she couldn't even move now, she only could focus her attention on the song, and on the gorgeous girl singing. It all felt so good and so familiar; that voice made Emily relax and feel like home; it was definitely the best feeling ever, and for a second she thought that she could be there forever._

 _The song started slow and the melody and the lyrics were soft and sweet; but somehow, when the song started to develop, it lost all sweetness and all that magic and relaxing feeling Emily was feeling. All of a sudden she started to feel incredibly bad, her body felt heavy, and her heart was biting incredibly fast; and suddenly she noticed that the brightness she had been surrounded with all this time was now gone._

 _She only could see the contour of the girl, and hear her voice; but the voice had changed… Emily wanted to run, but she couldn't._

 _"Emily" She heard her name coming from an unknown place, and that agitated her even more. She really didn't want to be there; she tried to move, tried to run, but she failed._

 _And when she looked back at the girl, she saw that her face was completely changed, she wasn't singing anymore, she was walking towards her with a really dark expression. Emily let out a scream and she fell to the floor when she felt the girl jump on her._

 _"Emily" She heard her name again this time more real, and closer, but she couldn't identify who was talking. She yelled once again, she felt trapped, and as the seconds passed she started to cry of frustration, definitely she wanted to go…_

 _Emily opened her eyes abruptly when she heard her name, this time louder, and followed by soft slap on her shoulder. She sat on the bed, covered by a thin layer of cold sweat and tears in her eyes._

 _"Emily"_

She heard that voice again, that voice she heard before, but now it was totally real, she had been dreaming…

Emily rubbed her temples as she exhaled and then noticed Paige kneeled on the bed next to her with an extremely worried expression and a bit of fear in her eyes. Emily observed her for a moment and then finally she seemed to completely awake and remember everything. Paige had been there with her almost all day; they had watched movies until late hours of the night and finally had gone to sleep when they were too tired to do anything else.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked worriedly; her voice husky and low due to her sleep. Emily realized now that she was crying; she had tears running down her cheeks and she was actually shaking.

"I'm fine" She said as she moved to stand up.

"Em…" Paige mumbled, she stood up and watched Emily run to the bathroom.

She waited for a few seconds and then sat back on the bed a little bit confused and little bit scared; this all was so weird… it was the first time she saw Emily like this… so agitated, and so nervous.

It all had started a few minutes ago, Paige was peacefully sleeping, her body tangled with Emily's, when she felt a sudden movement and then she heard Emily murmur something. Then all of a sudden Emily started to move frantically and she even yelled something…

Paige just sat at the edge of the bed for a while, her hands fumbling on her lap as she waited impatiently for Emily to come back.

Emily took her time on the bathroom; she splashed water on her face several times, until she was more calmed and swallowed a few pills to try to control her anxiety. This wasn't supposed to happen… at least not tonight; not when Paige was spending the night with her; Paige couldn't see her like that.

No one could see Emily like that; no one could help her… and now she knew that Paige would be there, in her room waiting for her, completely confused and full of questions and doubts; Emily looked at her reflection in the mirror and let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her temples in frustration.

This wasn't the first time something like that happened; it wasn't the first time she had such a realist nightmare; she even had a time when she had those nightmares every single night, but she thought that they were under control.

Obviously not

She finally decided to walk back to the room and face a really confused Paige, who was now standing next to the bed with a questioning look and a worried expression.

Emily sat at the edge of the bed quietly followed by Paige; the girl sat next to her and observed her with an analytic look as she tried to find out what to say.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked in a whisper. Emily finally dared to look at her in the eyes and nodded softly.

"I'm fine"

"Em… what the hell was that?" Paige asked this time in a louder tone. Emily knew that she was in all her right to ask, and to worry about her, but she didn't know if she could talk about what just happened.

"Paige, I'm fine okay? It was just a nightmare" Emily said soothingly.

"Just a nightmare?" Paige asked "You were screaming and moving as if you were having an attack… that was not just a nightmare"

Emily's lip quivered, and a new tear escaped her eye; Paige was right, that was not just a nightmare, but she couldn't talk about it, and definitely not with Paige, at least not now that the girl was starting to become someone so important in her life; she had to keep Paige away of all her problems.

"I'm fine" Emily repeated between soft sobs "Really, I'm just really stressed and it makes me have nightmares and anxiety"

Paige eyed her a bit confused but convinced with the explanation; maybe she just believed her, or just decided to drop the issue due to Emily's state in that moment; Emily couldn't tell. But she was more than glad that Paige stopped asking her questions.

"Do you need something?" Paige asked her now in a sweet tone and trying to be helpful. Emily lied back on the bed and thought the answer for a second.

"Hold me" She mumbled as she made some space for Paige next to her.

Paige nodded quietly and moved to lie next to Emily; they didn't say anything in a while, Paige moved as close to Emily as possible and then wrapped her arms protectively around her until she felt Emily's body relaxed and calmed finally.

Emily felt an intense sensation of joy now that she was embraced by Paige; she felt safe and warm between her arms, she only could feel that with Paige, and she knew that she will have to tell her someday what was happening to her, but for the moment she just wanted to enjoy this…

Finally she just grabbed Paige's arm and moved on her side until her back was fully pressed against Paige's front and the girl's arm was wrapped around her abdomen.

Paige didn't say anything, she felt as if Emily was hiding something, but at the same time she knew that it could just be a bad night for her; and she didn't want to be a burden to Emily; she wanted to help her as much as she could, and she wanted to be there for her no matter what, so she just waited patiently until she heard Emily's steady breathing as a signal that she was fast asleep and she finally closed her eyes and waited until she fell asleep too.

* * *

The second time she woke up, it was really different. Paige opened her eyes slowly when she heard the constant beeping of the alarm; she rolled on the bed annoyed, and stifled a yawn against the pillow before turning the alarm off finally.

She breathed relieved once the peaceful silence of the room overcame her and buried her face in the pillow while she tried to gain some strength to get up from the bed. Paige never had trouble waking up soon; her real problem was to get up from the bed to start the day.

After a few seconds of meditation, and just lie in silence she managed to sit on the bed and looked around confused. She, for the first time, realized that Emily wasn't on the bed with her…

First of all, she now remembered that she had slept in Emily's apartment again; and then some vague memories from last night came to her mind.

Paige remembered Emily yelling, moving around the bed agitated and sweating as she breathed heavily; then she remembered Emily standing up from the bed and running to the bathroom without any explanations.

It was obvious that Emily had been having a nightmare, that was for sure; but Paige never saw anyone having such heavy nightmares and reacting like that… but Emily had been really reluctant to talk about what happened after it. So Paige didn't know if she should talk to her or just drop the issue.

What she knew was that she needed to get up if she wanted to be on time for school. So with a bit of struggle she finally disentangled her body from the sheets and jumped off the bed ready to get ready. She stretched out a few times and gathered her clothes.

As Paige got ready, and checked if she had everything she needed she tried to not to think too much about what happened to Emily; it was pretty inevitable to let her mind go there, but she needed to calm a bit and be careful with that. She definitely didn't want Emily to close up to her.

Finally, after a few more minutes, Paige exited the room and walked quietly to the kitchen, where she found Emily leant over the counter as she chewed a spoonful of cereal. She spotted Paige, the moment she entered the kitchen and they made eye contact in silence for a moment until finally Paige walked to the counter and took a sit on one of the chairs.

"Morning" She said finally.

"Hey" That was all Emily managed to say as she swallowed the food. She eyed Paige carefully and tried to act normal "Do you want to eat something?" she asked

Paige looked at her with a raised eyebrow; her mind was full of questions, and she just wanted answers, but at the same time she didn't want to pressure Emily; not when she saw her so troubled last night.

"Em…"

"I have cereals in here" Emily said pointing to one of the cupboards "Or I could make you pancakes if you prefer that too… or maybe toasts"

Paige observed Emily as she talked about breakfast, she moved around the kitchen and grabbed some bowls and some plates as if nothing was happening… and technically nothing was happening but it did happen something last night, and the fact that Emily looked so nervous (even if she tried to play it cool) and the fact that she was rambling when she talked was a signal that Emily was still affected.

"Emily" Paige said interrupting Emily's words. Emily stopped talking, and looked at her for a few seconds, then she just took a deep breath and talked again

"So? What do you want then?" She asked. Paige let out a sigh of frustration, rolled her eyes and stood up abruptly making Emily take a step back in surprise.

"I want you to stop talking" She said. Emily looked down as she fumbled with her fingers and swallowed heavily.

"Paige… if this is because of what happened last night…"

"It is" Paige said "Of course it is…"

"It was nothing"

"You were screaming, and you woke up crying" Paige said in a whisper "Emily for god's sake, I've had nightmares too but I never woke up trembling and crying, it seemed like you were in panic"

"Paige" Emily said. She felt her voice shaky and low, she knew she was about to cry, but not because she felt sad; she just felt frustrated. This wasn't supposed to happen, now that she and Paige were making real progresses in their relationships, this was the last thing she needed. "I promise you…"

"If you're going to say that it was nothing then you can save it; I already know that excuse"

"Well, you're going to have to believe it" Emily said raising her voice in annoyance

"So that's it, you're not going to trust me, I have to trust you and all that stuff but it's not the other way around" Paige said

"Paige, you're getting this all wrong" Emily mumbled

"Then explain it to me!" Paige said "Em, I just want to help"

"This is not about trusting issues or me needing help"

"Then what is this about? Because you really scared me last night" Paige said "I was really worried and you seemed really scared too"

"I know… and I'm sorry" Emily's voice cracked and she had to make a huge effort to contain her tears "But I can't talk about it. Not yet"

Paige looked down and let out a sigh as she nodded; she didn't want to argue, and the situation wasn't leading to an argument; but the fact that she knew that something could be wrong with Emily and that Emily didn't want to tell her was complicated to handle so, finally she just decided that it would be better to drop the issue.

"Okay" She mumbled finally as she turned around to head to the door. Emily watched her but didn't say a word this time "I'll better go now… I don't want to be late for school"

Emily nodded, even though she knew that Paige couldn't see her; she just walked in silence to the door and exited the apartment.

It had been a complicated night; Emily knew that she hadn't controlled her nightmares yet, and that she was still hurt from her past; but she never thought that she had to open up to Paige so soon; she didn't even know if she was ready to talk about it.

The truth was that Emily hadn't talked about it since she arrived to Rosewood, and probably even before that. She didn't dare to talk about that out loud and now…

Paige deserved to know the truth; she deserved to know what was happening to Emily; and Emily knew that, the girl was now one of the most important people in her life, and she couldn't just be hiding from her.

Emily had that clear, but it was easier to say it than do it; and as realization came to her she felt her eyes filling with tears and her body so heavy that within the seconds she ended up sitting on the floor of her kitchen sobbing uncontrollably.

The reasons were simple; she just fought with Paige. Paige was gone and probably was upset with her, other than that, she was lying to Paige and was having trouble to talk to her… it seemed something complicated and Emily needed to process all that before being able to start fixing it. So she finally just allowed her body to express all the sadness; she cried and sobbed aware that crying always made her empty her body from the hurt and free herself from all the pain.

* * *

Paige stepped into the school half an hour later; after running back home to change and grab a few things. She was aware that internally she was a mess now, she had cried all the way to her house and now that she saw her reflection in a window moments before entering the school she knew that she looked like shit.

Her eyes were puffy and red, and her face was pale as a ghost. She made the effort of hiding her tears now that she was entering a public place; she hated when people asked her if something was wrong, she found that terribly annoying, and other than that she just hated that someone could see her crying.

So she took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom before heading to class. Two girls, talking in a suspicious low voice when they saw her entering turned around and walked outside between laughs. Paige walked to the middle of the bathroom and then looked into the direction the girls just left… maybe they walked away because of her disheveled appearance.

Paige sighed and turned around to check out the bathroom stalls; there were only three in that bathroom; and they seemed to be empty, but just to make sure of it Paige took a step closer and looked under the doors in case that she could see some feet.

Once she realized that she was alone, she let her bag slip off her shoulders and walked closer to the sink. She looked at her face in the mirror, definitely she looked terribly; and the funniest thing was that maybe she was crying over a stupid thing; last night she had been scared for Emily, but in the end it could've been just a nightmare and nothing else, or even if it was something else, maybe it wasn't worth so much tears.

But arguing with Emily was never a good thing for her, and seeing her so scared and so distant for a moment made Paige feel really bad.

After being a few minutes in the bathroom, alone, and trying to fix her appearance and calm her mood, Paige heard the alarm signaling the first class. She wasn't really in the mood for math, and definitely the idea of being the rest of the morning sat in a classroom hearing the teacher's talk wasn't the best plan she could hear off now.

But despite of her heavy mood right now, she knew that she had to go if she didn't want to be locked outside the class by the teacher.

When she finally reached the corridor, there were only a few students heading to class; probably, as her, they might get distracted and now were running to avoid be late to class.

Fortunately her classroom wasn't too far and she managed to get there just in time; the teacher was standing silent next to the blackboard writing something as he waited for everyone to make silence. Paige arrived to the door and sighed relieved to see that class hadn't really started yet; she was about to step inside when someone walked past her quickly, hitting her left arm softly as she or he passed. Quickly Paige saw the small figure passing next to her, Aria walked in silence to her sit only taking a second to look at Paige with a really, really strange look.

Paige obviously couldn't read minds, and she definitely didn't know what was going on, but the way Aria looked at her told her that something was wrong. There was a hint of anger in that look, and maybe some hurt… but the thing was, that it seemed as if Aria was hiding something…

Other than that, she knew with that look, that things between them weren't exactly in the best place, and that got proved, when she realized that, her friend was sat far from her; when usually Aria sat next to her; and she didn't look at her again.

The class went by incredibly slow and boring; all Paige's attends to pay attention or to focus on the class failed miserably, until finally she desisted and ended up drawing random figures on the corner of her notebook while she pretended to be listening.

And that was pretty much the rhythm of the first part of the morning; everything happened slowly, everything seemed to be boring, and the more Paige tried not to think about her argument with Emily the more she thought about it. She took her time to think about what she told her, and to think about what Emily said; maybe she overreacted, or maybe she just took everything way too serious when she probably just had to be understanding and patient with Emily; in the end, that was the way Emily had been with her lately, and she was really grateful for it.

When lunch time came, Paige finally exited her English class exhaling relieved and a little bit more calmed; her brain felt completely collapsed, or at least out of service, and the more she thought, the more tired about it she felt.

She finally came to the conclusion that she had to be understanding with Emily and that what happened wasn't such a big problem as she thought it was, but that didn't made her be any less angry with Emily for the way she acted before.

Paige hated to fight with Emily; she felt bad for arguing with her, and she wanted to go find her and say sorry to her and kiss her… but she wasn't going to give up so easy.

On her way to the cafeteria Paige made a little detour to the bathrooms again, this time she barely spent time there; so after that she walked down the hallway with her gaze fixed carefully on her steps, she heard some girls from the swim team calling her name to greet her, she returned the greeting politely but didn't stop to talk or to say anything; her mood wasn't the best to have a conversation and plus, she was so hungry that she just wanted to find a sit and eat quietly.

Just a few meters from the front door of the cafeteria Paige spotted Emily for the first time in the morning since she arrived to school. The woman was at the entrance of one of the classrooms as she talked to Mr. Fitz. Paige stopped her steps abruptly and took a second to observe her…

Emily was dressed in black tight jeans, and a white buttoned blouse, different style to the skirts she used to wear normally but she was still breathtaking; other than that she moved her hands so gracefully as she talked that it was cute to watch. She was just beautiful, and Paige stared at her for a few seconds until Emily felt a stare fixed on her and scanned the hallway for a moment until her eyes met Paige's.

Paige was about to offer a small smile, just some kind of gesture to tell Emily that they were okay now, that everything was fine, but then she remembered how hurt she left her apartment that morning so maybe she could wait a bit more to let Emily know that she was okay. Emily seemed to be about to take a step towards her, she looked at her directly and made a small move but then refused to it.

Finally she just stepped into the cafeteria trying not to look behind to eye Emily one more time; she felt bad for it, but she didn't really want to face her now; and plus she couldn't, they had rules and the number one was to not be close at school.

* * *

The cafeteria was that place, crowded with people, submerged in a soft murmur of conversation that raised in every table and that spread an interesting food smell that sometimes could be disgusting and other times it was just inviting; at the start of the scholar year, when the heat of the late summer was still on the air, people used to have lunch outside, at the small patio where there were tables and benches, but now that the winter was kicking in, it was definitely better to eat inside where the cold couldn't arrive.

Paige could have perfectly chosen one of the tables and sat there with the rest of the people; in the end she knew a lot of the students there, she had the luck to not be exactly a marginal girl there, but her mood was heavy, and her wish for conversation was zero.

She walked in between the tables and queues of students and arrived to an empty table at the corner of the room, it was far enough from the rest of the people so she was going to be definitely in peace as she ate. She sat there, placing her bag and her jacket at the side of the table and grabbed her small Tupperware where she kept her food; this time she had picked a turkey sandwich and a soda, the first two things she saw at the refrigerator when she ran home to change.

"Hi Paige" A voice came next to her.

Paige, who was now chewing a mouthful of sandwich didn't need to raze her gaze to see that the person talking was Sydney… 'Damn that girl has a fucking radar or something' she thought as she wiped the small crumbs from the corner of her mouth

"Sydney… hey" She said without enthusiasm. Sydney didn't wait for Paige to give her permission. She just took a sit next to her and stared at her as she ate.

"How are you doing today?" Sydney asked nonchalantly as she smiled. Paige swallowed the turkey and took a few seconds to think the answer.

"Fine, I am fine thanks"

"Cool, want a cookie?" Sydney asked as she took a package of chocolate cookies and offered one to Paige.

Paige moved her eyes from her turkey sandwich to the cookie and then smiled gently at Sydney as she shook her head. There was no doubt that Sydney was a nice girl, and sometimes she offered a great conversation, but there were times were she could be really annoying.

"No thanks" She said politely

"Do you mind if I ask you why are you sitting here alone?" Sydney asked again. Paige rolled her eyes discretely and then sighed, all she wanted was to be quiet and without any distractions…

"Uh… I'm just not in the mood to be with people now"

"I noticed that you and Aria are distant lately… is everything okay?" Sydney asked

"What?"

"It's not like I really care" Sydney said nervously "It's just that I… observe you both and you seem mad…"

"Everything is fine" Paige said simply.

She was about to take another bite of her sandwich when she saw the figure of someone familiar standing in front of the table. She raised her gaze and saw Aria; with a serious expression, her arms crossed over her chest and she definitely seemed mad.

"Speaking of the devil…" Paige mumbled

"What?" Aria asked

"Nothing"

"Sydney… could you leave us alone?" Aria asked

"Uh… I don't know Aria… I haven't finished my lunch yet and…"

"Leave us alone" Aria said again, this time with decision, and anger in her words. Sydney nodded resigned and grabbed her stuff before walking away. Paige chewed the turkey slowly as she eyed Aria and waited to swallow before talking again.

"Was that necessary?" She asked nonchalantly. Aria sighed and shook her head

"Please, as if you can deny that I just made you a favor"

"What do you want?" Paige asked looking directly at her

"I want to talk"

"Talk about what?"

"I want to talk" Aria said again "But this time you're going to be honest with me, because I'm seriously tired of you lying to me"

"What do you mean?" Paige asked confused.

Aria looked around carefully before leaning on the table and placing both arms to steady her body. She approached to Paige with seriousness and raised an eyebrow.

"I mean that I am not going to let you go until you tell me the truth"

Paige felt confused for a moment; she had really no idea what Aria was trying to say, but at the same time she felt worried because she had never seen her friend so serious; and she knew that when Aria was mad nothing good could result from that.

"Come with me" Aria said as she gestured Paige to stand up.

Paige observed her quietly with confusion and waited for a second… what was Aria trying to go now?

"Come on!" Aria said again impatient "We don't have all day"

Paige put down the sandwich and grabbed her bag quickly before standing up in a jump and followed Aria out of the cafeteria. The petite girl was literally running down the hallway in the back yard's direction.

"Where are we going?" Paige asked

"To a safe place"

"Safe place?" Paige asked confused "safe from what?"

Aria rolled her eyes and without a word she turned around defiant and faced Paige fully, leaving the girl more than surprised.

"Safe from the rest of the people, I want you to speak, but I also want to be alone so no one can disturb us"

"Okay…" Paige mumbled "But maybe you can spoil me a bit about the conversation?"

"No" Aria said "Now walk, I don't want anyone seeing us"

Paige frowned confused and then realization hit her as they stepped into the school's backyard and walked to the back door.

They walked along the grass, until they arrived to the concrete part where the door was. Aria stood next to the big metallic door and then grabbed Paige by the hand pulling her into a secluded area behind some trees.

"Aria… What the hell are we doing?" Paige asked

"What do you think we're doing genius?" Aria asked "We're jumping the grate"

"WHAT?!" Paige snapped "We can't do that… if someone sees us we're dead"

"Then shut up and pray so no one walks around here while we jump"

"I have to say that I don't like this 'bossy' part of you" Paige said

"Stop talking" Aria said "I have done this before, and it's not so complicated, you just have to be quick"

"What if the janitor sees us?" Paige asked "you know he's always around"

"The janitor is now on his daily break for lunch, he's sat at the front door as always, we have a few minutes so go on"

Paige sighed in frustration; she looked at the grate for a second and then moved at her friend's pressure look. Aria helped her put her feet on the top of the wall and then she climbed quickly the grate.

"Aria… I can't do this" Paige said once she was on top of the grate. Aria looked at her from her spot behind a tree and slapped her face in disbelief.

"Stop thinking about it, just jump!"

"I hate heights" Paige confessed

"Paige, just jump, someone could see you if you stay there forever"

"What if I break a leg or something?"

"Jump!" Aria said

Paige swallowed hard and then jumped quickly; her body collapsed on the sidewalk at the other end of the grate, she landed there with a loud thud, but fortunately she didn't break any part of her body.

Seconds later when she was standing up and fixing her clothes, she saw Aria landing on the sidewalk gracefully… as if she had done that plenty of times.

"Okay" Aria said "Let's go"

Paige was tempted to ask Aria where they were going once again, but she decided not to. Her friend seemed to be mad, or at least pissed at her, and Paige didn't want to make things worse.

* * *

She followed Aria through the streets, in complete silence, and always looking down at her feet, until they finally arrived to Aria's house. Paige was definitely confused when they arrived there, first of all because she saw Aria's mom car parked on the driveway and second, because she had no idea what they were doing in the house.

"What are we doing here?" Paige asked curiously.

"I already told you"

"Aria… I'm fine with you wanting to talk and all that stuff… but your mom's home" Paige said "If she sees us she is going to kill us"

"She's not going to see us" Aria said.

Aria's house was the colonial stile; with a big porch, decorated with plats all over it, and a small swing couch next to the door. It had light green wooden walls and a grey roof. Paige eyed it quietly as she waited for Aria's instructions.

Aria just grabbed her by the jacket and they walked carefully, trying to not be seen through the windows until they arrived to the big backyard. They stepped inside and ran all the way to a big tree that was standing on the middle with wooden stairs that led to a small tree house.

"Your old tree house?" Paige whispered

"Yeah"

"I'm not going there" Paige said

"Why?"

"It's been years since we last were on the tree house… it could be plagued with ants… or maybe the wood is weak"

"Mike goes in there all the time, and I go there too, nothing is going to happen" Aria said "It's either that or let my mom see us"

"Fine" Paige said finally

They went upstairs quickly and stepped inside the house. Aria closed the door and checked that on one was outside before directing her attention to Paige.

Paige let her bag fall to the floor and sat on a big pillow that was on the floor. They reminded silent for a moment as they thought about what was going to happen. Aria finally sat in front of Paige.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" Paige asked

"You should know actually" Aria said

"You're going to have to give me a clue"

Aria bite the inside of her lip and sighed; Paige shifted uncomfortably as she waited for the information and then rubbed her temples nervously… maybe she had a slight idea of what they were going to talk about now that she saw how serious Aria was being; but she didn't want to mention it,.

"Where did you go yesterday?" Aria asked

"Yesterday when?" Paige asked playing dumb

"I'm not stupid Paige; you said you had something to do"

"I went home" Paige said quickly"

"Liar"

"It wasn't something really important" Paige said shrugging her shoulders

"I followed you" Aria said

"What?!"

"You heard me"

"Where?"

"You know… at first I thought that you were just going to go to the Brew, maybe to buy something or maybe just to see someone… but you went into a building actually; and I kind of remember that Ms. Fields lives in that same building"

"Uh… really? I didn't know… what a coincidence right?" Paige said.

She was sweating, and her voice was weak and trembling. This wasn't happening, no one could know about her and Emily, it was a secret…

"I want you to tell me the truth Paige" Aria said

"Aria… I… it's not… let me explain"

"Paige, I am not going to be mad, or judge you or anything" Aria said seriously "I just want to know why you are acting so weird and why you are keeping things from me; I am your best friend and all I want is you to trust me"

Paige looked down embarrassed and feeling really bad; she knew that Aria was her friend, and that she was not going to say anything, but it didn't feel right to talk about Emily with her… she was supposed to keep the secret.

"You want to know why I went to see Emily" Paige said, it was more a statement than a question.

Aria nodded quietly and waited for Paige to continue. Internally Paige was a real mess; she was both glad, and disappointed at the same time. In one hand she was glad that Aria knew, mostly because she was tired of hiding something so big, she had wanted to have someone to talk about it for weeks but she never found the courage to tell anything. But in the other hand she felt as if she was betraying Emily by telling everything to Aria…

"It was not the first time right?" Aria asked her tone was now free from any kind of judgement or seriousness; she was just trying to be comprehensive and calmed. Paige rubbed her eyes in frustration and shook her head. "Since when?" Aria asked again realizing how deep this was.

"We've been seeing each other for a few weeks now" Paige answered in a whisper.

"Are you… are you dating?" Aria asked. Paige breathed out a laugh at the same time a tear streamed down her cheek.

"I don't really know" She said shrugging her shoulders "This is so complicated that we are just taking things slowly and with calm"

"I don't really know what to say…" Aria confessed as she looked down. Paige wiped her tears and nodded

"Me too… this wasn't the way I wanted you to find out"

"Oh, so you were going to tell me?" Aria asked

"Honestly… I don't know"

Aria looked away with hurt in her eyes and then moved her gaze back at Paige; they reminded silent for a few seconds not really knowing what to say.

"Aria… look, I know that I used to tell you everything about me; but this is not just another thing that happened… this is complicated, and I don't really know how to talk about it, I shouldn't be telling this to anyone, because no one can know about us do you understand it?" Paige said.

"Wait a minute" Aria said a bit offended "Do you think that I am going to tell anyone about this?"

"She's my teacher" Paige said "It's actually something illegal to date your teacher"

"I know, and I am still flipping over it… but Paige, I am not going to tell anyone"

"Then why did you want to talk?" Paige asked

"I already told you; I am tired of you being so distant with me and I'm tired of all this secrecy, I just wanted you to be honest"

"I am sorry for hiding this from you" Paige said with regret in her voice. She felt so weak now, and so fragile that she knew that it was matter of time that her insides cracked

She felt suddenly her eyes watering and her lip quivered softly. Aria moved quickly to sit next to her and wrapped an arm around Paige protectively as the girl started crying.

"It's okay" Aria said soothingly. She was a bit surprised with Paige's reaction; her intention never was making her cry, but it seemed as if Paige needed to let everything out.

"I've wanted to tell you ever since it started… but it seemed so wrong" Paige said between sobs

"You know you can trust me right?" Aria asked in a whisper

"I know, but this is not about trust… you know… this kind of things" Paige said wiping her tears and sighing "Good things, don't usually happen to me, I spent the whole summer suffering with Shana, it was a torture being with her, and then I've been scared to find someone just because I don't want to repeat what happened…"

"Not everyone is like Shana" Aria mumbled

"I know… and now I find someone; and that someone happens to be a teacher, who's actually a lot older than me. I felt for some reason that if I didn't say it out loud, it might make things better"

Paige sniffed and wiped the rest of her tears as she let Aria process the information. She felt relieved in some way, obviously things hadn't changed for just talking about them; but she felt definitely better.

"You love her" Aria said. Paige let out a sigh and nodded at the statement.

"I think so" She said in a barely audible voice.

* * *

They reminded silent for a long while. Maybe they just needed to think about all that had happened, it was a big confession, and it required some time to digest it; and other than that, maybe they just needed a moment to just be together in silence without words.

Paige relaxed into Aria's embrace and allowed herself to cry silently, the truth was that she didn't really know why she was crying, but it felt good to release some tension.

She lost count on how many time they were there, on Aria's old tree house, but it had been a quite considerable time because finally after being there chatting about non really important stuff Aria looked at her cell phone to check the time and stood quickly saying that they were supposed to be home in a few minutes.

Paige was grateful that Aria didn't mention anything about Emily and her after their talk; she just changed the subject to take Paige's mind out of everything and they just made some small talk.

It was nice to be able to share such a big secret with someone; and as they climbed off of the tree Paige felt relieved and in some way, happy. Now she could talk about her relationship with her friend, she could talk as a normal person about her worries and she didn't have to hold the weight of her secret relationship on her own.

"Is your mom home?" Paige asked as they walked along Aria's backyard

"No, she went to pick up Mike to take him to practice" Aria said

"Okay"

They exited the yard and walked to the front door; Aria stood observing Paige for a moment and then she moved to hug her tightly.

"Thanks for trusting me" She whispered still embracing her friend. Paige smiled softly.

"You literally made me tell you… but I guess I should be the one saying thank you"

"You know that you can talk to me always" Aria said

"I know. And I will"

They said their goodbyes and Paige started to walk home finally. She didn't really know how to define her emotions in that moment. She felt content, and at the same time a bit troubled because now came the hard part.

She had to tell Emily about it.

And she didn't know how Emily was going to react, maybe she could take this in the bad way and get really mad at Paige… she could break things of with her for telling to Aria.

"Why if she breaks up with me?" Paige whispered as she walked down the sidewalk. She crossed a few streets, and walked without much energy along Rosewood as she felt the cold air hit her cheeks and refresh her thoughts.

And suddenly her inner turmoil stopped abruptly when she heard her phone beeping inside of her pocket.

She slid her hand into the pocket of her light blue jeans and took the phone guessing who could be texting her.

-I haven't seen you in my class today, everything okay? - Em.

Paige froze as she read the text. She had completely forgotten that she had history class with Emily today; she forgot the rest of her classes actually since she went with Aria.

She took a few seconds to think about an answer as she kept walking and finally composed a quick response.

-Everything's fine – She answered.

She kept on walking, her house was now just a few streets from her position, and she was willing to eat something and take a long, long nap.

-Can you come over? – She read Emily's text a few times, she even stopped walking just to read it.

She would lie if she said that she didn't want to see Emily; because she missed her, and because she hated the way they ended up arguing that morning. But she was scared as hell to face Emily. She didn't know how the woman was going to react.

She took a few seconds to think about it; she couldn't just ignore Emily or hide forever in her house, and she should really tell Emily about what happened.

-I'm on my way – she wrote after a moment of thinking.

She didn't know how the rest of the day was going to develop for her and Emily so she ran to her house quickly to grab some clothes and put them into the bag before going to Emily's house.

* * *

Paige literally ran all the way through Emily's apartment. She was scared as hell and that gave her a shot of adrenally through her body, so all the energy she released in one second had to go away in some way. She walked incredibly fast; as she thought about how to start the so feared conversation.

She had to be hundred per cent sincere and tell the truth, and she had to clarify that Aria was going to keep the secret, Emily had to understand it. And internally Paige was praying hard for her not to get mad.

When Paige finally ran upstairs to Emily's door she stopped abruptly and took a few deep breaths as she tried to remind calmed. She needed to order the thoughts in her mind to be completely clear and also she was so nervous that she decided to walk slowly the last part of the stairs.

She fidgeted nervously with the straps of her bag as she stood looking at the wooden door and finally after a moment she gained courage to ring the bell.

Emily opened the door almost immediately and greeted Paige with a big surprise. She pulled her in for a tight hug, and was about to kiss her when she noticed the red puffy eyes Paige had.

"Hey… everything okay?" She asked as she scrutinized Paige's face carefully.

"I'm fine" Paige said, she never realized that all the tears she let out when she was with Aria before were going to leave proofs in her face later. Emily took her hand before closing the door behind them, and led Paige to the living room when they sat on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked finally once they were sat. Paige let out a deep sigh and shrugged her shoulders a bit.

"I'm okay really, it's nothing"

"I can tell you have been crying" Emily said as she reached out a hand to caress Paige's cheek lovingly.

"I'm better now" Paige mumbled

"Tell me what happened" Emily said "Has it something to do with the fact that you disappeared from school before?"

Paige directed her face to some place on the floor; she took a moment to think about what she was going to say and then nodded finally trying not to make much eye contact with Emily; who was completely confused.

"I was with Aria" Paige said finally breaking the silence.

Emily looked at her but didn't dare to say a word; she knew that Paige must had a great explanation for what had happened.

"I went with her to her house; she wanted to talk"

"About what?" Emily asked confused

"About us" Paige said after a long pause. Emily eyed her carefully before saying something; she took a second to process the words and then rubbed her temples softly as she kind of understood what Paige was implying.

"You mean… about you and me?" Emily asked in a soft whisper. Paige breathed out deeply and nodded.

"Yeah"

"Does she know…"

"She followed me" Paige explained "And kind of pulled all the pieces together, she knows that we are seeing each other"

Emily didn't say anything at first. She stood up and rubbed her forehead in disbelief as she walked around the living room. Paige reminded still on her spot on the couch as she eyed Emily; she gave her a few minutes to think and calm herself. Then Emily just went back to the couch and sat next to Paige quietly.

"And you admitted it to her?" She asked with fear and a hint of annoyance.

Paige gulped audibly and then finally nodded, there was no point in lying and she actually wanted to tell the truth so Emily could know everything, but the tone in her words hurt a bit, or at least the fact that she seemed mad, as Paige had feared.

"I'm sorry" Paige mumbled

Emily rubbed her temples this time harder as she sighed in frustration.

"God… what are we going to do now? Is she going to-"

"She's not going to say anything" Paige said interrupting Emily's sentence. Emily seemed to think for a second after hearing this, she actually seemed to calm a bit.

"I thought we'd said that no one could know about us" Emily said after a moment of silence.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I couldn't just lie to her; she's my best friend Em, and other than that… I think that it's not that bad"

"Why do you mean?"

"I mean that maybe is not that bad that someone that we know we can trust knows about us; I mean… this whole secrecy thing is nice, but sometimes it gets complicated"

"Do you regret having a secret with me?" Emily asked

"No, of course not, it's not that; but I guess that it's nice to have someone to talk about it rather than just talking to you all the time… which I love obviously" Paige added when she saw Emily furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"I understand that" Emily said finally "But… I just don't really think that it's a good idea that people know about us; the more people that knows it, the more possibilities of being discovered"

"I know, and Aria won't say a word I promise" Paige said

"I believe you, but please, don't let anyone else figuring out"

"It won't happen again" Paige whispered a bit ashamed; she felt as if all this was her fault, which actually was, because Aria figured everything out because of her; but it didn't feel good being accused by Emily.

"Are you mad?" Paige asked, she noticed that Emily had been a few minutes in complete silence, with her gaze lost at some point of the wall in front of them, maybe she was staring at one of the shelves, or at the black screen of the TV, or maybe she was just staring at nothing.

"No" Emily answered; she directed her gaze to Paige once again and offered a small vague smile as she looked down again.

"You seem mad…"

"I'm not… really; it's just that I wasn't expecting to hear this… that was not the way I wanted this afternoon to go" Emily confessed.

Paige frowned confused, Emily suddenly relaxed once again and all hint of her being mad or annoyance disappeared

"What did you have in mind?" Paige asked

"I asked you to come here because I wanted to talk"

"About?"

"This morning" Emily said with a low voice. Paige felt all of a sudden a bit uncomfortable; she had been so distracted with all the: 'Aria thing' that she had forgotten about the small incident that morning.

"Look Paige… I wanted to apologize first" Emily said visibly embarrassed "For being so closed about what happened and for arguing with you"

Paige observed her silently, she had wanted to say a lot of things to her during the morning; she had thought about a small speech about trust and she had planned exactly what to say, and now that she had the chance; words didn't come out. Maybe it was the fact that she was more calmed than this morning, or the fact that Emily seemed really sorry about it.

"I want you to know that, I want to tell you" Emily continued not giving a chance for Paige to talk "I want to tell you everything about me, but you have to understand that there are a few things about me that are complicated"

"What kind of things?" Paige asked. Emily let out a sigh and looked down

"About my past"

Paige made silence again. Emily seemed troubled, she could feel it, Paige could have asked again, or try to push the subject further; but she instead, decided to trust Emily.

"I'm sorry too" Paige said after a moment of thinking. Emily raised her gaze and looked at her "Sorry for being so stubborn and for pushing you to tell me this morning"

"You were worried… you did what you thought was best" Emily said

"Yeah, but I should've tried to understand you, before trying to push the issue further"

"I guess we both tried to push things further this morning" Emily said offering a smile.

Paige felt relieved when she saw Emily's lips turning into a shy smile; she felt as if now everything was okay again; and she returned the gesture letting out a soft laugh.

"Come here" Emily said as she grabbed Paige by the hem of the shirt.

Paige moved closer, and allowed Emily to pull her until she was practically straddling her lap; the sudden closeness was more than welcome; they had been all day separated so now they needed definitely some time alone and that time was going to be better if it was in silence since they were going to keep their mouths busy.

Emily cupped Paige's cheek gently and leaned forward for a quick kiss that turned into a few small kisses until finally they joined their lips more passionately.

Their lips danced fiercely for a long while, their breathing turned labored and their eyes closed at the pleasure; Paige let out a soft moan when she felt Emily's lips nipping gently on her bottom lip; the woman's hands roaming freely along Paige's back.

"I've missed you" Emily mumbled between kisses. Paige was about to respond but before she could start talking Emily joined their lips once again taking her time sucking first on the girl's bottom lip and then on her upper lip; she slowed the rhythm of the kiss but not the intensity.

"Me too" Paige managed to say finally "I feel like we haven't seen each other in ages"

Emily smiled against the kiss and nodded in agreement, it felt so good to be with Paige; now that they were alone, and with no misunderstandings on the way, they could just focus on being happy and have a good time… it was a real shame that they could not be openly together for the moment.

It was sad the fact that they couldn't walk around hand in hand, or the fact that they couldn't even be together in public because they would be risking to be discovered.

But for the moment this felt so good that Emily shook those thoughts out of her mind and gave everything into the kiss.

Finally, after several minutes they slowed down the kisses until they were just staring at each other silently; Paige buried her face on the crook of Emily's neck and Emily smiled at the contact as she hugged the girl tightly.

"I bet this is what you were planning for tonight" Paige said jokingly against Emily's neck.

"Intense kissing" Emily said pretending to be thinking about it "Definitely"

"It is better than talking though" Paige mumbled

"Yeah, and we can continue for as long as you want" Emily said suggestively "If you're not too tired"

Paige let out a breathy laugh and moved to face Emily; she was extremely blushed at the words, and Emily noticed that, she observed the girl's faces and bit back a laugh when she noticed the bright red color tinting her cheeks

"I'm not tired" Paige protested "I have plenty energy actually…"

"But?" Emily teased when she heard the slight doubt tone in Paige's voice

"We could get… you know… a bit carried away"

Emily bit her lower lip to keep herself from smiling; Paige seemed so vulnerable when she talked about this and yet so cute. But she understood it; she was really aware of Paige insecurity when it came to sex, or just being intimate, Emily didn't really know why, but she guessed that it might be because of how Paige's ex treated her.

"You know we don't have to do anything" Emily said "I'm happy just having you here with me"

Paige smiled sincerely and looked down a bit embarrassed; the truth was that she wanted to go further with Emily; maybe not all the way, but she wanted to be able to connect with Emily at some deeper level. She reminded silent for a brief moment thinking about what Emily had said. Paige was really grateful for Emily's patience, she knew that it must be hard for Emily to contain herself, but even though the woman always supported her and was always comprehensive.

"But I want to" Paige said in a soft whisper, Emily struggled to hear it, but she understood. "I want to do more"

The sentence lingered around the room leaving a silence after it; Emily reminded pensive as she eyed Paige carefully trying to decipher if what she said was meant to be in a good or in a bad way.

"What do you want to do?" Emily dared to ask after a few seconds, she didn't say this in a teasing or suggestive tone; she just asked to know if Paige was really sure about it. Paige took a few seconds to think before speaking again.

"I don't know" She admitted visibly embarrassed "I just… don't know how…"

"Tell you what" Emily said interrupting Paige before she could feel even more uncomfortable "Today is our date's day, let's have the date; let me get everything ready and let's have a great time, we can talk, watch a movie after if you want and then we can talk about what to do"

Paige reminded still, thinking about Emily's offer; it sounded good, and she definitely will have time to get ready for what could come later.

"Fine" She agreed. She was about to get up when Emily grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer leaning to whisper something on her ear.

"Or maybe rather than talk… I could show you" She said in a soft whisper. Emily's hot breath lingered on Paige's ear getting goosebumps on the skin all over her body.

Paige was out of words; Emily let out a laugh at this and finally they both stood up to start getting everything ready.

The truth was that Paige had no idea what Emily had planned for that night. She just said that it was going to be special and that was going to be memorable. So Paige stood in the middle of the living room trying to figure out what they were going to do.

"I wanted it to be a surprise" Emily said as she rushed into the room that was her office "I had planned to decorate the living room and then ask you to come over around eight; but since you are here already…"

Paige listened to Emily's voice from the room, she smiled at how cautious and perfectionist Emily was, she literally wanted to decorate the house just to have a date in with her…

Finally after a minute Emily came back to the living room carrying a big plastic bag between her hands. She walked to the couch and placed the bag on top eyeing it carefully and then checking the room for a moment to see where she could start.

"So?" Paige asked from the spot she had been for the past three minutes.

"How do you feel about Italian food?" Emily asked turning around to face Paige.

"Italian food?"

"Yeah, pizza, hundreds of types of pasta… lasagna"

"Oh… I like it, I love pasta" Paige said

"Cool" Emily breathed out "Because, I'm going to turn my living room into an Italian restaurant"

"What?" Paige mumbled as she looked around trying to picture what Emily was saying.

"When I was in California, around Christmas last year, a friend of mine took me to a restaurant to cheer me up; I was kind of depressed and stressed so we went to this small restaurant called La Toscana, and it was so cute, it was cozy and warm with simple decorations but yet so beautiful…"

"Sounds amazing" Paige said

"It was, and I kind of wanted to recreate that… I know that I cannot make a restaurant here in my apartment, but at least I wanted to recreate the atmosphere"

"I think that whatever you do will be perfect" Paige added smiling.

"Okay" Emily said clapping loudly; she grabbed the bag and started to put some stuff out under Paige's curious gaze "You set the table and I set the rest"

"Fine"

Emily grabbed from inside the bag, a red plaid tablecloth and handed it to Paige, then she just finished gathering the rest of the things.

"A plaid… tablecloth?" Paige asked smiling

"Yeah, the restaurant used them, actually theirs was blue I think… but this one will work"

"Okay" Paige said finally "I'll set the table".

* * *

Decorate the living room took them around half an hour; Paige finished with the table in just ten minutes, she put the table cloth, the silverware, the plates two wine cups and some candles to give it a more 'romantic' aspect. Then she just went to help Emily

Emily's idea was to change her living room into a small restaurant, as she had seen in California; she placed candles all around the room, closed the curtains and low the lights, and then grabbed a long yarn to pull together some paper lanterns.

They hanged the lanterns on the highest part of each wall and crossed the yarns so the paper lanterns were hanging all around the living room.

Paige was really impressed about everything; she didn't know that Emily was going to take this so seriously and make such a mess of her living room; but it actually was really beautiful. The final result was actually great. It was cozy, and warm, just as Emily wanted.

"I guess now, we just have to order the food" Paige said as she contemplated their work.

"Yes, but first, I'm going to get ready" Emily said as she ran to her room quickly.

Paige never imagined that when Emily said that she wanted to get ready she was saying that she was really going to get ready; as soon as she went to the room; she literally locked the door and spent like a whole our preparing herself.

Paige walked around the living room at first and then when she heard the water of the shower running she sighed deeply and made herself comfortable since she knew that she'd have to wait.

After the shower Emily ran around the apartment trying to get everything ready and gathering some things she needed. Paige caught a few glimpses of her wearing just a white towel around her body and then when she was almost ready a few moments later.

Finally; after almost an hour, Paige was sat on the couch watching TV as she waited; she heard the door of the room opening and then she heard Emily walking to the living room.

Paige turned around at the sound, and then, her jaw almost dropped to the floor when she saw Emily; the woman was wearing a tight black dress, with matching heels. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders giving her a beautiful appearance.

"W-wow" Paige breathed out as she took a few steps towards her still admiring her outfit

"You like it?" Emily asked shyly. Paige opened her mouth but no words came out so she just nodded instead.

"You look… stunning" She managed to say finally

"Thanks"

"I feel a bit out of place now" Paige commented as she pointed to her clothes, she was wearing light blue jeans, a black shirt and a leather jacket.

"I know that I might be overdressed… since we are going to have dinner here and you're not so… dressed as me but, I just felt like putting something fancy"

"It's okay" Paige said "You look really beautiful"

"Besides" Emily said, she approached Paige a bit and then whispered into her ear "I wanted to be pretty for you"

Paige blushed violently and managed to smile to cover her sudden nervousness; Emily let out a laugh.

"As long as you don't mind that I'm still in the same clothes as this morning…" Paige said

"It's okay; let's order dinner" Emily announced as she went to grab her phone "I'm starving"

* * *

By the time dinner finally arrived they were relaxed on the couch, talking quietly as they waited. They heard the intercom a couple of times and then it was Paige the one who decided to go receive the food.

She thought that Emily opening the door dressed with a fancy dress, might be a little out of place, but actually the real thought that crossed Paige's mind when she heard the door bell was that if the delivery guy was a handsome Italian he could try and seduce Emily while he handed her the food.

Anyways the stupid thought disappeared the moment she walked to the door and opened it abruptly. The delivery guy didn't seem Italian now that Paige was face to face with him; it was a tall boy, and extremely thin, his height might impress someone at first but his face was still a bit childish.

As he handed Paige a big box, she took a few moments to observe him more slowly; he was several inches taller than her that was for sure; in fact the black buttoned shirt was a little bit short for him; maybe he was just making some hours working at the restaurant, or maybe he was new, and the other relevant thing was that he had the face covered with some disgusting acne…

"You can keep the change" Paige said after handing him the cash; the guy's eyes brightened and he smiled revealing his brackets.

"Thanks a lot" He said with a deep voice as he turned around to walk away

Paige closed the door quickly and walked with the box to the kitchen counter when she placed it to start grabbing the food.

"Why did it take you so long?" Emily asked as she stood next to Paige.

"I couldn't find the money" Paige said, Emily laughed next to her and eyed the food as Paige took it out of the box.

"Wow, it looks delicious…" Emily commented

"I know… I'm starving" Paige said "So, this over here" She said pointing to a spaghetti with mushroom sauce plate "Is yours, and this one here is mine"

Paige grabbed her plate, which consisted in macaroni with some strange green sauce that turned out to be delicious in the end. They walked to the table and sat finally ready to eat; Paige looked at her plate with bright eyes and grabbed the fork when Emily stood up and walked to one of the drawers on the living room

"What are you doing?" Paige asked placing the fork on the plate again. Emily laughed when she saw the girl's indignation and grabbed a small bottle of wine before rushing to the table.

"I have been keeping this one for a special occasion" She said as she sat again

"And now it's a special occasion?"

"Definitely, it's our first date" Emily said

"Are we dating then?"

"I guess" Emily said as she opened the bottle "I mean… we kiss, we talk about lots of things, we kiss more… that's pretty much what you do when you date someone, with other stuff of course"

"What kind of other stuff?" Paige asked curiously

"I don't know… cook together, go to the movies together, do lots of stuff together… we can figure the rest out in the future"

Paige let out a smile and grabbed her now filled cup and raised it asking for a toast, Emily observed her and mimicked her actions

"For us" Paige said

"For us" Emily repeated she sipped the wine carefully and by the time she placed the cup on the table Paige already had her mouth stuffed macaroni and green sauce. She smiled at the scene and started eating.

The food was delicious; both of them mentioned that several times during the night, they ate in silence at first, just enjoying each other's company, and after the minutes passed they started with small talk that turned into an animated conversation.

Over the past weeks they had talked about several things, they had tried to open to each other and that started with at least knowing a few things about their pasts. It was different for them that for the rest of the people though; they had a past relationship that even if now was completely changed made them feel as if they really knew each other.

So now it was about connection; they talked about things at a deeper lever, Emily talked about a few things of California, she told Paige how she struggled to deal with Maya's break up, and how she finished college and went to find a job, then she told her about her friend Hanna, and how she missed her.

Paige listened as if there was no one else in the world in that moment and obviously decided to tell Emily about her life; now that they were discovered by Aria, Paige told her a bit about the girl and how they met when they were nine. And then they talked about the future and some other stuff.

Time definitely flew now that they were having such a great time, and when they finally realized it, the sun was gone and the soft light from the moon entered through the windows. They picked up everything from the table and cleaned the plates quickly before going back to the living room.

Paige sat on the couch as Emily filled the cups with more wine smiling brightly, she looked definitely stunning, and Paige felt bad for having to be locked in the apartment instead of being outside, she wanted to be free and walk around in Emily's hand, it must be amazing to have everyone knowing that she was with such an amazing woman.

"If you keep re-filling the cups we're going to get drunk" Paige pointed out when Emily handed her the glass. Emily smiled devilishly as she let her body collapse on the couch; she stepped out of the heels and placed her legs on top of Paige's lap.

"Maybe I want to get you drunk" She said jokingly, Paige breathed out a laugh

"Give me a couple more of this" She said raising her cup "And I'll be definitely drunk"

"It's not like we drank too much though" Emily commented

"No, but you know, when the company is good and you're having a great time it's hard to have count on how many drinks you have"

"I guess… So this is our last cup" Emily said

She giggled happily as she gulped the rest of the wine under Paige's surprised gaze; the girl had just taken a few small sips, and there was Emily, gulping the wine without even breathing. Once her cup was empty she placed it on the small table that was next to the couch and stood up abruptly looking at Paige.

"Dance with me" She said offering her hand to the girl

"Now?"

"Yeah, I think it's the perfect way to end a date"

"You know I don't really dance too well" Paige stated shyly. Emily smiled sweetly and grabbed Paige's hand pulling softly until Paige finally stood up.

"I don't care, I just want to dance"

"There is no music" Paige said

"Give me a sec"

Emily grabbed her ipod and connected it to the stereo system quickly, then she just picked up the first song that appeared on the list and turned around facing Paige.

"Now there's some nice music playing" She said, she grabbed the hem of Paige's shirt and pulled her closer "So we can dance"

Paige smiled finally giving, Emily leaned in for a kiss trapping the girl's lips between her own gently and biting them softly before pulling away.

She wrapped her arms slowly around Paige's neck and breathed out a smile when she felt Paige's arms circling her waist gently but steady. They reminded silent as they heard to the music and then started to sway gently with the rhythm.

"This is nice" Paige whispered after a while; Emily nodded in agreement

"Do you remember what happened the first time we danced?" She asked nonchalantly, she smiled when she noticed Paige looking down discretely to keep herself to step with her feet.

"You ended up pressed against that wall" Paige said

"Yeah" Emily laughed "I never imagined that you would respond to my kiss, and with such force…"

"Why not?"

"I don't know… I was feeling like shit that day, and I had drank a little so I thought that the action might scare you"

"Well" Paige said smiling at the memory "I definitely wasn't expecting you to kiss me… but the truth is that by that point I might had thought about it a few times"

"Really?" Emily asked surprised

"Come on… we had had some kind of weird tension for quite a while since we met again"

"Yeah that's true…" Emily agreed "But I think that a little of sexual tension sometimes can be great" She whispered teasingly on Paige's ear.

Paige tripped with her own feet at the words, the sentence hit her right into the guts; she felt Emily's hot breath getting goosebumps all over her body once again.

"Sexual tension" She repeated in a mumble. Emily laughed silently and kissed Paige's neck softly carefully waiting for some sight from Paige to stop, but since she didn't get one she continued placing soft kisses all over Paige's neck

"D-do you remember what I say about doing more…" Paige said in a soft whisper. Emily hummed against her neck and then pulled away to face her

"Yes" She said

"I…"

"You want to do more?" Emily asked. Paige nodded softly

"Not more as in… _more_ …" She explained blushing furiously "More as in…"

"More" Emily said offering a warm smile

"Yeah"

Emily nodded in understanding; she understood exactly what Paige was trying to say; she wanted to do more as well, but at the same time she knew that they were going to need to go slowly, mostly because she didn't want to scare Paige. She wanted the girl to be comfortable and relaxed, they didn't need to rush things, and they could start slowly and see what happened.

"Come with me" Emily said grabbing Paige's hand, they walked quietly to the room and stood in the middle silently.

Paige eyed the bed carefully and then gulped as she looked at Emily who was just standing looking at her, as if she was trying to analyze something.

"You know that we can stop whenever you want" Emily said

"I know" Paige whispered "Maybe we could change…"

"Change?"

"I have my pajama here" Paige said

"Okay"

Paige walked quickly to her bag, which was next to the bed and picked up her sleeping attire which consisted in a pair of plaid blue pajama pants and a black t shirt. She held her clothes for a moment and then eyed Emily, who was looking for something in her closet.

"I'm going to change" Paige said before leaving the room to enter the bathroom.

Emily sighed deeply as she saw the girl leaving, Paige must be feeling really uncomfortable now, she could feel it; and she had to think in a way to help her relax. She changed quickly into her pajama and sat on the bed waiting patiently for Paige; she imagined that the girl will take her time.

A few minutes later Paige entered the room again, her hands joined in her front fumbling with the hem of her shirt as she walked shyly to the bed. Emily eyed her and smiled trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"I'm ready" Paige said with a shaky voice.

Emily stood slowly and reminded still in front of Paige while she observed her, she had a slight idea of what she was going to do; Paige was visibly scared, so what she had to do was take her mind out of the problem and distract her.

"So… what do we do?" Paige asked once again in a barely audible voice.

Emily didn't respond, at least not with words; with one hand she cupped Paige's cheek and then with the other she grabbed the back of her neck pushing her in for a kiss that started rushed and desperate.

Even though she was scared and a bit embarrassed, Paige couldn't hide the fact that she wanted Emily and that she really wanted to do more than just stare at her; the moment their lips clashed Paige let out a soft throaty moan and wrapped her arms around Emily's waist pulling her closer as she felt the woman devouring her mouth.

They didn't need words at that moment, because their lips could perfectly speak on their own; the kiss heated up within the second until they finally deepened it with force and passion; Emily pulled Paige even closer until their bodies were completely pressed and then she started to move them both until the back of Paige's knees touched the bed.

Paige didn't have time to react, because the moment she felt the edge of the bed hitting her leg she felt Emily's strong arms lifting her until they were both lying on the bed and kissing even more passionately than before.

Emily was lost in the kiss, she moved her body until she was on top of Paige kissing her and tasting the sweetness of her lips; she could feel her heart biting faster than ever and as they grew heated she felt each kiss straight to her core. She definitely needed more.

She finally managed to release Paige's mouth with one last peck and moved to kiss the girl's jaw line, Emily wasn't in a rush at that moment, she had to make Paige feel good so she took her time nipping and kissing her jawline and her neck; Paige jumped a bit when she felt the woman biting softly on her earlobe.

She quickly got lost in Emily's ministrations on her neck that she didn't notice the woman's hands until one of them slipped under her shirt caressing the soft flesh of her abdomen.

A low moan escaped Paige's lips when she felt Emily's left hand grazing the skin of her stomach, she opened her eyes startled at first but then she just gave in to the pleasure; Emily seemed to be lost in her own world as she kissed her with abandon and force.

And then, just as simple as it had started Emily stopped kissing and leaned back to be able to look at Paige; the girl opened her eyes confused and took a moment to recover her breath before talking.

"What?" She asked between breaths. Emily sat back on the bed and waited for Paige to do the same

"Do you trust me?" She asked with confidence. Paige looked at her still confused but nodded

"Yes" She said

Emily sighed and then grabbed the hems of her own shirt and slipped it off of her body slowly; Paige observed her completely out of words, her heart was about to break her ribcage and end up at the other end of the room and her breathing was so labored that she might explode for inhaling so much air.

"Is this okay?" Emily asked softly as she threw the shirt to the other end of the room. Paige gulped audibly and nodded

"I… yes… yes" She mumbled "Do I have to…"

"It's not necessary; remember that you don't have to do anything that you don't want"

"I want to" Paige said after a moment of thinking about it. She was about to grab her shirt when Emily stopped her

"May I?"

Paige nodded and allowed Emily to slip the shirt out of her body; the moment she felt the air of the room in her almost naked torso she felt embarrassed and a bit vulnerable, she crossed her arms over her chest protectively and blushed.

"Don't" Emily said as she grabbed Paige's arms "You're perfect"

"Do you think so?"

"Of course"

"I… I'm nervous" Paige confessed

"I know"

"I don't know if I am ready to… you know, going all the way tonight"

"I'm perfectly fine with it" Emily said "Can we just keep kissing?"

Paige smiled in return and nodded before their lips collapsed again; only this time, the kiss wasn't as rushed as before; it was slow, sensual and with the same amount of passion, only it showed in the way their lips danced at a slow but steady pace.

Emily dictated the rhythm taking her time kissing each lip and letting her tongue dance with its mate. They lied on the bed again, and they both moaned at the feeling of their bare skin touching; it was not much, but Paige thought that if the skin of their torsos touching made her feel so good… how would it feel to feel Emily's naked body against hers…

She decided to let herself go a bit and allowed her hands to roam around Emily's body; she caressed the skin on her back and then moved one hand carefully to the front until she grazed one of Emily's perfect breasts softly.

Paige immediately moved her hand to a safe place afraid that Emily might get mad at her for touching without permission; but Emily just smiled against the kiss and without stopping she grabbed Paige's hand and led it to the breast again.

"You can touch all you want" Emily mumbled as she moved to kiss a spot behind Paige's ear.

They continued the kissing for a long while; so long that they even lost count of time; Paige thankfully started to feel more comfortable and she even took the lead a couple of times dictating a new pace more rushed or more passionate. Emily was extremely glad to have Paige more calmed now, that way they both could enjoy the moment.

But as the minutes… or hours passed; Emily started to notice something; Paige was extremely turned on, that was the truth, she had never had such a heated make out session with anyone, and she never was with anyone that turned her on more than Emily.

And Emily noticed that for some reason Paige was starting to tense; her body was in tension and her movements became erratic all of a sudden.

After a few seconds Emily realized why that was happening and she took a quick decision; she was as turned on as Paige, so she understood what was happening. So in one quick movement she flipped positions with Paige until the girl was on top of her straddling her waist.

"I want you to be on top now" Emily said seriously. Paige looked at her confused and moved to kiss her again when Emily stopped her. "Remember that we can stop if you want"

Emily readjusted her body a second, and Paige was about to ask her what was happening when she felt the woman's knee pressed against her center.

The contact made Paige yell in pleasure and her body collapsed on top of Emily's as she moved her hands in desperate need to grab something.

"Fuck" She mumbled, Emily kept making pressure for a while until Paige understood what was going to happen and got used to the feeling.

Then Emily placed both hands in Paige's waist steading her in her place straddling Emily's thigh and helped her move forward to start a slow pace creating friction against the girl's core. Paige buried her face on the crook of Emily's neck as she breathed heavily.

"You're shaking" Emily whispered, she moved an arm and wrapped it around Paige's back offering support, both in a physical and an emotional way.

"Oh… god…" Paige mumbled as she increased her tempo and fastened her movements. At this point she was literally rocking hard and fast against Emily's tight. "Em…"

Emily smiled when she heard her name between Paige's moan, she could feel that the girl was close by the way her body was starting to tense up and her movements were becoming faster and erratic.

"I'm going to… I'm…"

Paige couldn't find the words to find the sentence, because before she could speak again, her body contracted violently and waves of pleasure ran through her insides leaving her out of breath and out of everything; she collapsed completely on top of Emily breathing heavily against the woman's neck and panting hard as she tried to find what to say.

Emily kissed the top of the girl's head and then kissed her shoulder lovingly as she held her while she recovered her breath.

"Wow" Paige mumbled against Emily's neck

"Yeah… wow" Emily repeated smiling "Thanks"

"For what?" Paige said with a weak voice

"For sharing this with me" Paige managed to move and looked at Emily in confusion

"Sharing what?"

"You" Emily said kissing the tip of her nose "I bet that this wasn't what you had in mind about doing more" She laughed.

"Maybe not… but I have to admit that it was nice"

"Nice?" Emily asked "Just nice?"

"Well… I bet we can get better in the future"

"I don't doubt that" Emily said teasingly "And maybe the next time we can try with less clothes"

"We could, but…"

"But?" Emily asked slightly confused

"You know… I… just had an orgasm"

"I know, I was there" Emily said smiling

"Yeah, I know… but you didn't" Paige whispered. Emily caressed her cheek and smiled

"This night was about you"

"Thank you so much by the way; you know, for being so understanding with me… I never imagined that I could be intimate with someone again…"

"You know that I am always here for you; for whatever you need, whether it is to go slow or to go fast, just whatever you need"

Paige leaned forward and kissed Emily once again, this time their kiss wasn't as heated as their previous ones; they just moved their lips slowly until they finally ended up hugged breathing into each other's scent.

"I think we should sleep now" Emily said, she just realized that it must be really late

"Fine, but, can't we just sleep like this?" Paige asked "I can move my legs now"

Emily let out a laugh and helped her move until they were lying next to each other, they reminded like that for a while in silence, just looking at each other and cherishing the moment.

"I don't know what did I do to deserve you" Emily whispered "But you have no idea how happy I am to be with you now"

"You made me happy too" Paige mumbled sleepy; Emily kissed her forehead and moved a bit closer to her.

She couldn't believe what just had happened that night; it had been perfect, even if they didn't really had sex, even though what they did could be considered as sex, but Emily felt so content and so good. She observed Paige until she heard the girl's steady breathing. Then she kissed her goodnight and closed her eyes welcoming the sleep.

"I love you" She whispered to the cold air of the room before finally falling asleep

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: A big change

Paige lied sprawled on an old sheet that was on the floor blocking some of the cold, she was holding her camera between her hands as she eyed the last pictures she took at the woods that morning.

It was Saturday evening, and it had been a really long day; Paige and Aria had had a lot of work in the morning at the photography studio, Dimitri had to attend a few events that day, including a wedding, two birthdays and a random session, so Paige and Aria had to follow him and help so he could be able to finish all the work.

So basically they had spent all day walking around the town with the cameras and then they had to go to the woods in Dimitri's old car, a green Jeep that made really weird and scary noises while it rode.

After such a tiring day, Aria finally suggested to have a sleepover just the two of them like the old times when they were little kids and slept in each other's house every single weekend. The idea was really well welcomed by Paige, which, actually surprised Aria, the girl was expecting a rejection from her friend

Mostly because Paige used to spend the weekends with Emily; Aria understood it now, she knew that it must be hard for them to pretend every day that they didn't know each other so she never protested when Paige chose to be with Emily some days

But today Emily was really busy; Paige had been all week waiting for the weekend so she could spend two whole days with her, and she got really upset when Emily called her to cancel the plan. Apparently Emily had to correct tons of exams and prepare a few classes, and also she needed to finish preparing the exams that were about to come before winter break; it was really close so that meant that Emily had more work to do.

It had been two weeks since they had started 'officially' dating, at least official between them since they couldn't really tell anyone but they were extremely happy anyways, because since that day; the day of their first date things had changed for them in a really good way.

They had become even closer than before; Paige couldn't believe how much an unexpected new act of intimacy as the one they shared the other night could change their relationship so much. She was starting to feel more comfortable around Emily now, and they were definitely more open to talk about sex stuff than before which was really cool; obviously they hadn't take the final step into that intimacy part but Paige felt as if they were close, and she was really excited about it.

But the most important reason why she wanted to see Emily that night was because they hadn't been able to talk during the week. They always managed to keep contact even if they couldn't see each other in a few days, mostly because some days Paige's parents were at home and she had to be there too, but Emily always talked to her via text. And the other thing they had got used to was their night calls; it started just as a way to be able to set the time of their morning run; Emily had been working with Paige to help her improve her times and to help her gain more speed, so they went for a morning run twice a week and some training after schools, only lately, their afternoon's workouts had turned into workout plus make out sessions…

Paige sighed at the memories, she could say now that she was happier than ever, Emily made her happy, and even if they couldn't see each other as much as they wanted it was amazing just to know that they were together.

Aria entered the room carrying a small silver platter between her hands, she had been getting the small room on her basement into a small cinema, they had a small projector, and Paige had hanged an old white sheet on the wall so they could use it as a screen and the plan was to just eat as much as they could and watch movies.

"My mom, who is feeling incredibly generous lately, made us two cups of hot, really hot chocolate" Aria announced, she placed the platter on a small coffee table that was in the corner of the room and handed the cup to Paige.

Paige placed her camera aside and sat as she grabbed the chocolate, Aria then sat next to her and they sipped the sweet beverage in silence.

"Tell Ella that she makes the best chocolate I've ever tried" Paige mumbled

"Believe me, she knows, that's why she made them, she only makes chocolate when you are around"

"Then I'll have to be around more often" Paige said before taking a big sip; she frowned when she felt the hot liquid burning the roof of her mouth. Aria breathed out a laugh next to her and sat comfortably on the blanket.

"Are you sure that you're going to be able to be here instead of going to see your teacher?" She asked in a soft purr. Paige looked at her with a raised eyebrow

"My teacher?" She repeated

"She's your girlfriend isn't she?"

"Yep" Paige said proudly

"I swear I still can't believe that you and Ms. Fields are dating"

"Well, believe when I say that sometimes I feel the same way" Paige said

"You never told me the story" Aria said smiling brightly; Paige placed the cup of chocolate on the floor and eyed her friend curiously

"What story?" She asked playing fool, Aria laughed and then sat even closer to Paige expectantly

"Oh come on, you know!" She said "It's been a few weeks since you told me; I think you should at least tell me how everything happened"

"Correction" Paige said in a soft voice "You made me tell you, and why do you want to know? I mean, we are just dating, we like each other, we kiss, end of the story"

"Kiss huh?" Aria said suggestively; Paige rubbed her temples

"Can we please just see the movie?" She asked starting to get annoyed "Haven't you ever kissed someone or what…"

"Yeah, but… I never kissed my teacher" Aria teased, Paige knew by Aria's tone that she was totally joking but it still made her annoyed

"Stop it" She announced crossing her arms over her chest

"Okay, but it's just that it's a weird experience, you know to be with someone older and all that stuff, you have to share it"

"You just want to know the details because you're a pervert" Paige mumbled

"Hell yeah" Aria said "And it's been a long while since I've been in love or at least dating someone so you owe me at least some details"

"Ugh" Paige rolled her eyes in annoyance and sighed in frustration "What kind of details?" She asked dubious. Aria raised an eyebrow and eyed her offering a devilish smile; Paige obviously understood and let out another sigh

"I'm your best friend, you have to tell me" Aria whispered devilishly

"You're just a pervert Aria, let's be honest, this isn't a best friends thing, this is you wanting to know if I had sex with Emily"

Aria let out a soft laugh that ended up in a loud guffaw as she laughed, Paige was right, she loved gossip and it had been a long time since Paige had been in a nice relationship so she had to push the issue, she loved to make Paige uncomfortable and other than that she loved to see her happy and just wanted her to be relaxed enough to talk about it.

"And?" Aria said waiting for the answer; Paige maintained eye contact with her for a moment and then rolled her eyes and exhaled deeply in surrender

" Fine" She said "We didn't"

"Didn't what?" Aria pushed

"We didn't have sex yet" Paige mumbled "Happy?"

"Seriously?" Aria asked, suddenly the devilish smile, and her previous jovial expression disappeared and she stared at Paige in amusement as if she was trying to process what she just heard

"We've been dating for a few weeks Aria, what did you expect?"

"Honey, those few weeks are already a month" Aria pointed out "By this time you should at least have been intimate"

Paige looked down and dipped her head as she blushed, Aria observed her as she gazed the floor embarrassed and then a smile appeared on her face

"I never said that we haven't been intimate" Paige mumbled, her face tainted completely in different shades of red as she admitted that. Aria let out a laugh as she clapped

"How is that you never told me?" She asked

"I didn't know that I have to tell you about my sexual life"

"Come on, I'm your-"

"Best friend" Paige finished "I know, but what happens between Emily and me is just between us"

"Maybe" Aria said "But that little smile you have now tells me that you want to talk about it"

Paige bit her lip trying to cover her smile, Aria might be right; the past weeks had been amazing and not just because she and Emily had been more comfortable with the 'intimate' issues; it was actually the fact that for the first time in her life she had a nice relationship without pressures or bad things in the middle

"Okay" Paige said finally "We've done… stuff"

"Stuff?"

"Yeah stuff" Paige said "You know, a little bit more than kissing"

"And?"

"Well…" Paige was about to protest once again but then she just smiled brightly "It's been amazing"

"I'm so happy for you" Aria said happily as she clapped

"I am happy too you know? All this time she's been like super understanding with me and super patient… and I don't know it's been really great how everything developed in the past weeks"

"She sounds like a really great person" Aria said

"She is; I mean, she could've pressured me tons of times and she never did"

"Well, that's a really good sign Paige, which means that she really cares about you"

"I know…"

"How is that I feel that you're going to add a 'but' in here?"

Paige suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable; she felt a weird sensation inside of her and looked down trying to find what to say

"You know what happened with Shana" Paige said suddenly with a sad and serious tone. Aria let aside all the joking and eyed her carefully.

"Paige…"

"I know, I know, Emily is not Shana" Paige mumbled

"Then where is the problem?" Aria asked

"Look… With Shana everything started really great" Paige said trying to be as sincere as possible, it was hard to talk about all this but she somehow felt as if it was going to do her some good to open up finally "We had this weird but at the same time amazing connection, it was exciting every time we were together I could feel so connected and attached to her… and then one day we had sex and it ended"

"Shana was a real bitch to you" Aria mumbled clutching her teeth; she still remembered how damaged Paige ended up after her relationship.

Aria always knew that Shana was bad news, and she always had the feeling that she was going to hurt Paige, and it was all true, because the day Paige discovered that Shana had been flirting around with other girls and that she even hooked up with some of them she ended up devastated and incredibly hurt.

"Shana is in the past now" Paige said "But the thing that bothers me is that… You know that I know Emily since I was five"

"Yeah"

"Back then we had a strong connection, she was my best friend, literally she was like another sister to me, and when she went to California it left me completely devastated, but I got over it, but the thing is that the day I saw her for the first time, when she came back again, I felt all those years and that past connection we had hitting me right on the face"

"What bothers you is the connection" Aria said trying to follow Paige's words

"What bothers me is the fact that we have a story in the past, a friendship and a special bond we always shared… and sex… you know that sex is a really important thing that can change everything"

Aria reminded silent for a moment, she finally understood what Paige was saying and moved to sit as close to her as possible and placed her hand on the girl's knee softy.

"Paige you know that your previous relationship already changed? I mean, the moment you two started to date or even before your relationship changed"

"I know, but…"

"Sex is meant to be great" Aria said grinning "It's something to be enjoyed by two people and to be something exciting even during the years; I know that things could change but they already have, things don't have to go wrong just because you sleep with her"

"I don't want to upset her" Paige confessed "And definitely I don't want that having a bad experience in that 'area' might set us apart"

"Okay first of all Paige, you are not going to upset anyone… If she's with you and she has agreed to wait until you're ready is because she doesn't care about that, and the fact that Shana was a… was weird when it came to sex doesn't mean that Emily is"

"So you think I have to sleep with her?" Paige asked

"I think that you should stop analyzing everything and enjoy your time with her, and you know, if you feel as if you need to learn some stuff about sex, maybe she can show you"

"Show me…" Paige mumbled

"She's a teacher, remember?" Aria said in a purr. Paige blushed furiously and then moved uncomfortably

"Okay, enough of that" She said completely blushed, Aria let out a laugh and leaned back a bit so she was sat comfortably "I think I gave you enough details"

"I guess, I hope next time you can tell me how she's in bed" Aria said blinking. Paige grabbed one of the pillows that were placed against the wall and threw it to Aria harshly

"I thought we were going to see a movie" Paige said

"And we are; I just wanted to talk for a while, you know I like to know what is going on in your life"

"You just want the nasty details" Paige said in a whisper; Aria laughed and shrugged her shoulders

"Maybe"

"Get a boyfriend Montgomery, so you can have your own nasty details" Paige suggested

"I wish… I just cannot find the right person"

"What happened to that boy… the one you were kind of dating last year?" Paige asked curiously, Aria looked down pensive and then shrugged her shoulders lightly.

"Holden?" She asked, Paige thought about the name for a brief second. Aria had had quite a few relationships in the past, not too many but Paige couldn't really remember all the names

"I guess" She said waiting for the answer

"We weren't dating, we just tried to get to know each other better" Aria breathed out

"And?"

"I really didn't like what I saw" Aria simply said "I guess we're better as friends"

"Well, in that case you should start looking for someone better"

"I don't know, there's no one I'm interested into right now"

"Maybe you should try to look for a teacher" Paige said between laughs. Aria let out a guffaw and looked at Paige surprised

"I can't believe you just made that joke" She said in disbelief, Paige laughed

"Yeah, me neither"

"I don't see myself with a teacher" Aria commented now more serious

"That's because I have the hot one" Paige mumbled, Aria sapped her on the shoulder playfully

"Well, I have to say that Mr. Fitz is kind of cute"

"Cute?" Paige repeated in a low voice

"Yeah… but anyways he's way too old" Aria stated, Paige raised an eyebrow and looked confused for a moment "Not that being old has to be a problem…" Aria corrected quickly

"Aha" Paige mumbled

"Okay let's watch the movie" Aria said changing the subject, she stood up to grab the remote control and then remembered something "I'll go get the popcorn"

Aria placed the remote back on the blanket and ran out of the room to get the popcorn and some drinks; Paige found herself once again alone in Aria's basement, she grabbed some pillows and placed them against the wall to make a small bed and then lied comfortably against it. She breathed relieved as she looked at the ceiling while she waited for her friend.

She was content right now, it was strange because the past weeks she had been feeling a bit lonely and heavy knowing that she had to carry the secret on her own but now that Aria knew it felt good to be able to talk to someone about it, even if her friend was a pervert and wanted to know every single detail about Paige and Emily's relationship, but it was cool to know that she could trust Aria. Her mind was driving along all this thoughts when her phone beeped on the inside of her pocket.

Paige sat quickly and took the phone out of her jeans unlocking the screen to see who it was; a big smile spread along her face when she read Emily's name. The text was short, but it made Paige's heart race faster anyways

-Miss me? - That was all the text said. Paige breathed out a laugh as she thought for a moment what to say

-Always- She replayed quickly, she lied back on the pillows waiting for a reply

-You know, my work would be a lot funnier if you were here with me – Emily answered

-Do you really think that you would be working if I was there? – Paige wrote back, she breathed out a laugh as she waited for the response; this was something kind of knew between them, this teasing conversation were starting to be something usual whenever they texted each other or whenever they spend time at Emily's apartment.

-Probably not- Emily answered, Paige literally could see the woman's devilish smile even if Emily wasn't in front of her –We would be busy working in some other stuff-

Paige blushed as she read the text, she still hadn't really accepted the fact that she had an intimate life with Emily; she felt her hands sweaty as she held her phone and sighed before thinking about what to say

-I bet, but for the moment you have to work in that other stuff alone- Paige replied, the response was immediate

-Impossible, Spencer's here- Emily said, Paige smiled and shook her head as she wrote

-Ms. Hastings? I didn't know you were into science teachers-

-She's interesting actually, but I totally prefer you. She just came to help a bit-

-I'm glad, better than to be alone- Paige replied; she had been feeling a bit bad for leaving Emily alone that night, she obviously respected the fact that she had to work and didn't want to be a burden to her but she also knew that Emily was going to be alone all night even after finishing because she had made plans with Aria

-Yeah, same to you, hope that everything is okay with Aria-

-We're fine, and about to watch a movie, I guess then we'll just go to sleep-

-Is it weird if I say that I miss you at nights? - Emily said. Paige smiled softly and nodded to the empty room at the text. She knew exactly what Emily meant, they had become a lot closer for the past two weeks and since Paige's parents were almost every day working the night shift, Paige could perfectly go and sleep to Emily's house without any problem, the only thing was that they were starting to get used to it a little too much and the days Paige had to be home because her parents were there it was complicated.

-I miss you too, it's not weird at all- Paige wrote

-You're like my personal pillow ;) - Emily replied, Paige let out a laugh, Emily usually ended up using her as a pillow, it was comfortable and cute actually

Suddenly, the door of the small room opened and Aria stepped inside carrying a massive bowl of popcorn and a plate with two burgers and two drinks.

"Holy fuck" She mumbled as she placed everything on the small coffee table "I thought I was going to fall down the stairs"

"You could've asked for help" Paige said standing up and grabbing the plates before they ended up on the floor

"I'm fine" Aria mumbled, she settled everything and then sat on the blanket again placing the drinks in front of them and the bowl of popcorn in the middle

"Wow, I don't know if I'm going to be able to eat that much" Paige commented as she eyed the burger on the plate

"You know you will" Aria said "You always do"

"Maybe…"

Paige's phone beeped once again and she unlocked it to read the text trying to block the screen out of Aria's sight

-Do you think you can come over tomorrow? – Emily asked; Paige read the text a few times as she pretended to listen to Aria as the girl talked about the movie they were going to see

-My parents are going to be home we'll be in Philly for the day – Paige replied; for a moment she had been excited knowing that tomorrow was Sunday and that she could have the whole day to go and visit Emily, and then she remembered that tomorrow both of her parents were going to be home, mostly because it was her mother's birthday so they will go out of Rosewood to celebrate it

-Sucks – Emily simply wrote

-Yeah, maybe I can find the way to make a quick visit after or… Monday afternoon –

-I would love that-

"What are you doing?" Aria asked curiously as she noticed Paige staring at the screen with a small smile on her lips and completely zoned out

"What?" Paige asked, Aria folded her arms and looked at her in annoyance

"So you weren't listening, again!" She shouted "I was explaining you the plot"

"Oh, yes, yes I remember" Paige said

"What's the name of the movie?" Aria asked

"Uh…" Paige rubbed the back of her neck in confusion and smiled embarrassed

"I can't believe you, we're going to see Moulin Rouge" Aria said "In case that you still care about it, because I seriously can't believe that you haven't seen that movie yet"

"I don't really like musical, romantic movies"

"We'll watch some shark, scary movie later" Aria said "Who are you talking to by the way?"

Paige looked down a little bit blushed and let out a smile, she had been caught but actually it wasn't as if she cared too much, in the end it was normal that she talked to her girlfriend.

"Emily" She said simply. Aria's annoyed expression disappeared completely and instead she smiled brightly

"Oh, so you were here sexting while I was grabbing the food huh?" She said elbowing Paige gently

"What? No! We were just talking a bit; she asked me how I was doing"

"Yeah, you don't have to give me explanations" Aria said

"Go to hell" Paige mumbled, she grabbed her phone and composed a quick text under Aria's attentive gaze

-I'm going to go watch the movie with Aria now, she's getting too annoying, have a great night- Paige wrote, she placed the phone on her pocket and when she raised her gaze she found Aria looking at her with crazy eyes and a devilish smile

"I hope you're having fun" She said suggestively

"I'm just saying good night"

"Oh please, don't quit it just because I'm here"

"Aria we were not sending dirty texts to each other if that's what you think" Paige said with annoyance

"Okay, fine; then stop texting so we can watch the movie" Aria said, Paige rolled her eyes and checked the phone one last time when she heard a new text

-I guess I'll have to finish my work then, have fun –

"Did she say something nice?" Aria said raising an eyebrow"

"Stop it, she's going back to work and we are ending this conversation now"

"Fine" Aria said, she grabbed the remote, and sat comfortably placing her plate between her legs so she had everything near and then started the movie as they both started to eat.

* * *

Emily placed the phone on the table muffling a laugh against her palm; how she could get so excited and content just by a short conversation over the phone… that was a mystery, but she actually loved it; and sadly it had been the only time in a few days that she had had time to talk to Paige; other than the quick 'hello's' and the rushed gazes they shared at school, they hadn't had the opportunity to have some alone time and she was already missing it.

She yawned probably the result of being sat by her desk for a few hours now; the worst thing to be a teacher, at least for her was the incredible amount of paper work that she had to do and that she always someway left for the last days and then she had to rush to finish it.

She had to correct exams from a few classes, then correct some essays and some other works and then prepare some test for the next week, and all that in one afternoon. When she had started she had been very optimistic, the plan was to finish everything in a few hours, probably one or two and then have a quiet night, maybe invite Spencer to have dinner with her or something… but that was four hours ago, or probably a bit more; and she still had to finish a few more papers.

The sound of the door startled her and dragged Emily out of her thoughts; she rubbed her face and then sighed in frustration.

"Food is here!" Spencer yelled from the corridor; Emily heard the sound of plastic bags and rushed steps to the kitchen and then heard Spencer humming a song as she probably checked the food.

Emily was tired of being sat but at the same time wanted to finish everything so she could rest; but the truth was that she was starving, and finally her hunger won over her work and she stood up in a jump and walked to the kitchen.

"Wow" She whispered when she saw a few bags along the counter and Spencer opening some boxes "Are we going to eat all this?" She asked

"Well, I don't know about you" Spencer said, she grabbed a piece of 'curry chicken' and chewed it slowly "But I'm starving"

"Ugh, me too, I feel like I could eat a whole cow right now"

"Here" Spencer said handing her a plate with some rice and pork with soy sauce "Not a cow, but you can start for this one"

Emily grabbed the plate and smiled when she felt the sweet smell of the soy sauce hitting her nostrils, she walked to the living room and placed her plate on the table, then she helped Spencer with the rest of the things.

She didn't even bother in getting the big table ready; she just placed everything on the table in front of the couch and they both sat comfortably as they finally ate after a few hours.

"Mmmm this is so delicious" Spencer said chewing a mouthful of prawn rice.

"Agreed, it's been a long since I didn't order Chinese" Emily commented, she wiped her mouth quickly after swallowing the pork

"Seems like is the only thing I eat lately" Spencer said "I barely have time to cook"

"Are you busy preparing your classes or what?" Emily asked

"Sort of… and actually I have been seeing Toby after class too"

Emily stopped chewing and looked at Spencer with surprise; the last time she heard the name Toby in a sentence it was after giving some bad news, so it was kind of nice to see Spencer so excited talking about it

"I thought you two didn't work together"

"Maybe we just needed to figure out some stuff first" Spencer said

"I'm really glad about it" Emily said "Really, you deserve to be happy"

"Thanks" Spencer mumbled as she continued chewing "I feel as if we have a real chance now that we are trying to work things you know… maybe it can work"

"It will, everything is better when you try to do things right"

"Yeah, now the only thing left is to find someone for you" Spencer suggested. Emily rolled her eyes and shook her head

"Thanks but no thanks" She said

"Oh come on, you can't be using that 'I'm not ready' excuse all your life… I mean, you need someone"

Emily swallowed once again and played for a second with the food on her plate as she thought about what Spencer said; she already had found someone, and for the first time in a long time she was really happy and felt as if she could do anything; but at the same time it was really sad the fact that she had to lie to her friends and family, mostly because she knew that telling them about Paige will be a big mistake.

After Aria found out, Emily had been thinking about the idea of maybe telling everything to Spencer, or maybe Ezra, in the end Paige was right, it was nice to have someone to talk about and trust rather than just them two…

But now that Spencer was there, and they were talking, the possibility of Emily telling her was over… she didn't know if she was ready to risk everything at least for the moment.

"Ugh, I already had someone" Emily said finally "And believe me, for the moment I just prefer to be alone"

"Was it that bad?" Spencer asked, her plate now forgotten as she saw Emily's expression turn dark and tainted with a sadness that was actually strange.

"It was" Emily said simply, her gaze moved to the floor as she remembered briefly some of the events of last year, a lump formed in her throat as the memories appeared in her mind

"Do… you want to talk about it?" Spencer asked a bit cautious. She had gotten to know Emily pretty well in the past months; they had shared pretty cool moments and for the moment Spencer definitely considered her one of her best friends; mostly because Emily was the only female friend she had had in the past years, but she never saw her like this… so serious and so deep in thought to the point where she seemed as if she was going to cry

"I don't really know if I am ready to let it all out" Emily confessed "It was a nightmare… and it ended, and now the only thing I want is to let everything behind and start again"

"I'm sorry" Spencer said sincerely, she placed her hand atop Emily's and offered a smile trying to be emphatic

"It's okay, I'm glad that everything ended now and that I have a new life here; so I want to take things slowly for the moment and enjoy being single for a while"

Spencer breathed out a laugh and moved to grab her drink; then she raised it as she smiled and waited for Emily to do the same

"For the new start" She said "I was going to say for being single… but I am not anymore" she added after sipping her soda. Emily smiled as she gulped down her water 'I'm not single either' she thought as an image of Paige came to her mind suddenly making her smile brighten at the thought.

"And how about your life… in general?" Spencer asked after placing her drink on the table again; Emily looked at her confused for a second as she battled to grab a piece of pork with her fork; Spencer breathed out a soft laugh

"What do you mean?" Emily asked

"You know, how's life going? Everything okay outside school?"

"Yeah" Emily said, she was now more relaxed since she heard Spencer nonchalant tone "It's not that I have a crazy social life… but I'm doing good, I've been trying to make daily visits to my mom, or at least twice a week, and well, I guess I am enjoying living here"

"Rosewood can be a really nice place to live in" Spencer said "Not as big as California, but it's great"

"Believe me, right now I'm grateful of being in a small place free from the crazy rhythm of the big cities"

"And what about that crazy social life?" Spencer asked curious

"What about it?"

"I don't know… any friend outside us? I mean, have you plans for the weekends, or plans to meet new people?" Spencer asked

"Not actually… I mean for the moment I guess I'm concentrated in just adapt myself to this new life, and I'm not the kind of making plans on weekends" Emily said smiling

"Well… actually me neither" Spencer recognized lowering her voice at the statement "I'm more the being home type"

"I guess it comes with the age" Emily joked

"Probably… but we could change that" Spencer suggested "Any plans tomorrow?"

Emily reminded pensive for a moment as she finished chewing on her rice and then placed the plate on the table; she unfortunately didn't have any plans for tomorrow since Paige was going to be out of town, it was sad since she had waited all week to see her; but at the same time it was nice to have the opportunity to hang out with Spencer

"No" She said finally, Spencer smiled brightly and placed her plate on the table as well

"Fine, we're spending the day together" She announced

"Here in my house?" Emily asked

"It's a good plan, but we could actually go to the museum"

"Museum?" Emily asked surprised "Here in Rosewood?"

"Okay it's more of a big building and some artists and galleries make their expositions there from time to time, tomorrow there's one of Romantic art I think" Spencer said

"Sounds great" Emily agreed

"Cool, then it's a date" Spencer said happily, she stood up in a jump and stretched out her body before heading to the door

"Where are you going?" Emily asked

"I'm going to grab my bag and some stuff from my house" Spencer said, Emily eyed her confused "I'm spending the night here"

Before Emily could reply, Spencer was already out of the apartment slamming the door shut behind her; Emily smiled as she shook her head and then leant back on the couch

"Okay" She mumbled to the empty room as her smile turned bigger, at least she wasn't going to spend the weekend alone.

* * *

When Paige woke up the next morning, the first thing she become aware of, was the rough pain on her back; she felt her body contracted and aching; probably the fact that she had slept on a blanket on the floor had something to do with it. She rolled a bit until she was lying on her back and stared at the ceiling for a moment until her brain was completely awake; Aria was fast asleep next to her curled up against her side as she breathed out calmly and steady.

Their night had went as planned, they had dinner as they watched the first movie and then, after cleaning up the plates they sat comfortably with a big bowl of ice cream as they started the second movie, and this continued until really late hours that night, they managed to see a few more movies and to talk about several things until they finally started to drift off into sleep.

They weren't supposed to sleep there, on the basement; Aria's dad had put a mattress on Aria's room for Paige even though he knew that the two girls were going to end up sleeping in the same bed; anyways after all the movie marathon, Ella came downstairs to check on the girls before heading to bed and found them asleep on the blanket, so she just put another blanket covering them so they didn't catch a cold from sleeping on the floor and left the girls sleeping there.

Paige stretched out carefully not to wake Aria but trying to rub the soreness out of her body; she growled quietly and then sat finally after a few seconds reaching from her phone to check the hour.

The light from the screen blinded her; she closed her eyes and rubbed them waiting for a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light; then when finally she read the numbers her brain clicked and she realized that she had definitely overslept.

"Shit" She mumbled as she stood up quickly trying to gather her stuff from the floor.

Aria stirred a bit, yawing and rubbing her eyes as she noticed Paige running around the room, she took a second to observe her as she fully woke up and then sat quietly trying to understand what was happening

"What's wrong?" She asked with a husky sleepy voice. Paige was now kneeled in front of her bag as she grabbed her clothes.

She had agreed with her dad that she was going to be home by nine o'clock, so they could arrive to Philly early to spend the day there; so the plan was to sleep at Aria's and then go home just in time.

But the thing was that it was a quarter past nine; she hadn't heard the alarm so she had to change quickly and run all the way home.

"My dad's going to kill me" Paige said as she undressed quickly and put on her jeans in one motion

"Why?" Aria asked confused

"It's my mom's birthday, we are going to take her to Philly and I was supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago"

"Oh… shit" Aria mumbled, she stood up slowly and folded the blanket as she yawned again.

Paige was changing as fast as she could, she stripped off her shirt and grabbed a black sweater and put it on quickly and then grabbed her shoes as fast as she could.

Aria observed her and helped her look around in case she was forgetting something; Paige packed her bag finally in a rush and then grabbed her stuff ready to go.

"Okay, I had a really great time" She said quickly, she moved to give Aria a quick hug and then rushed upstairs "Have a good day" She yelled to Aria as she disappeared through the door.

Paige ran, and not precisely in a middle pace; she ran faster than ever, her legs seemed to be on fire as she rushed along the streets to go back home as soon as possible; she was grateful that on Sundays there weren't many people in the streets, at least that early so she didn't have to stop at the red lights or wait for people to pass on the sidewalks.

Fortunately, and for her own sake, her house was just a few minutes from Aria's, they lived in a different neighborhood but not that far, so she arrived just in a few minutes after racing all the way to her house.

The first thing she saw when she crossed the small yard at the front of her house was her dad standing next to the car at the garage probably waiting for her.

Paige rushed next to him trying to recover her breath and looked at Nick apologetically trying not to infuriate him.

"I thought you said you were going to be here at nine" He said raising an eyebrow. Paige sighed in relief and in completely exhaustion when she heard the calm tone on her father's tone.

"I'm sorry" She muttered "I didn't hear the alarm"

"It's okay" Nick said offering a smile that was really welcomed by Paige "Your brother isn't here anyways"

"Is mom ready?" Paige asked after taking a few seconds to breathe normal finally. Her dad nodded and walked to the inside of the garage to grab the car keys

"Yes she is, and you should go talk to her, she'll be glad to see you"

Paige looked down sadly and walked to the front door trying to think what to say, she hardly believed that her mom was going to be happy to see her; she never was.

So she had no rush now that she was home to see her mom; Paige entered the house and walked upstairs to her room to leave there her bag; she could hear some noises on the kitchen, probably her mother was having breakfast as she waited.

Paige took a few minutes to finish getting ready since she couldn't at Aria's house; she went to her small bathroom and washed her face and her teeth, put on some cologne and brushed her hair tying it into a long ponytail.

Then finally she went downstairs to meet her mom. As she had imagined, Claire was sat on one of the chairs holding a mug of coffee between her hands; as always she was dressed perfectly formal; a white blouse covered by a creamy white suit jacket and black pants; her hair perfectly tied up in a bun and her face perfectly covered by soft make up, just enough to cover the effects of the age.

Paige took a deep breath as she stood by the door observing her mother and finally managed to walk towards her.

"Hi" She mumbled to catch her attention. Claire turned around and stared at Paige smiling softly

"Morning" She said the smile then disappeared and she looked at the clock "You're late" She pointed out… of course her mother was going to say that.

"I know… I lost track of time" Paige said in a whisper "Happy birthday" She mumbled as she moved closer, she deposited a soft quick kiss on her mother's cheek and then took some distance

"Thanks" Claire said

There was a silence, a weird one, the kind of silence that always settled after talking to her mom; the kind of silence that meant that no one knew exactly what to say next, Paige found that extremely sad and painful, she wanted to say lots of things and wanted to talk to Claire, sometimes even if it was just small talk, but she never knew how.

She observed how her mother readjusted her position on the chair and sipped her coffee with parsimony as she looked straight through one of the windows, it was obvious that she was not going to offer more conversation so Paige finally turned around and walked outside the kitchen heading outside to help her dad.

Nick was making himself occupied at the garage while he waited for his son; Paige walked to the garage and stood next to the open door trying to figure out what her father was doing.

He was completely submerged into a big box as he eyed the contents carefully placing them onto the floor; Paige observed the scene for a brief moment before finally approaching him.

"What… are you doing?" She asked a bit confused. Nick moved startled and hit his head accidentally with a table that was next to the box, the table was full of tools, objects that Paige had no idea what they were but they were there and some items her parents kept there to avoid losing them.

"I was just making some time" He said rubbing his head and moving the box with his feet so it wasn't so close to the table "I found this in one of the closets"

He pointed to one of the walls of the garage, the one that had four big closets full of boxes and bags that they kept there because they didn't know where else to place them. Claire was literally a cleaning maniac, she was obsessed with have the house extremely clean and everything had to be in order, but the only thing she never dared to touch or clean was the garage; it was the only place in the house that was actually messy half of the time. Nick used to clean it once a month; he was the only one that actually knew were things where down there.

"What's that?" Paige asked curiously as she spotted something familiar in the box; she kneeled down and reached inside moving a few objects and then she grabbed the tail of what it seemed a stuffed animal… and it was, she managed to put it out of the box and eyed it in surprise

"Look at that" Nick said surprised as he smiled "You just found Rob"

"Rob…" Paige said open mouthed as she eyed the stuffed toy; it was an elephant, a small grey and pink elephant… Suddenly a few memories including that Rob toy came to her mind and a smile appeared on her face.

It had been a present she got for a birthday, she didn't exactly remember when but probably when she was three or four, and she had loved that elephant a lot; she always slept with it took it everywhere, she had pretty good memories

"I didn't know we still had it" Nick muttered as he kept checking the inside of the box

"Me neither, I thought I'd lost it" Paige said

"You probably stopped playing with it and mom brought it here" Nick said nonchalantly "Or maybe your sister

"Mom?" Paige asked "I don't think so, she would've thrown it to the trash" She joked

"I doubt it"

"Why?"

"Well, she bought it for you" Nick said still looking at some book she grabbed from the box, Paige looked at him confused

"Mom? She bought me this?"

"Yeah, when you turned two I think" Nick said pensive "You were terribly ill that year and you had to spend your birthday at the hospital"

"I don't remember" Paige mumbled

"Oh I do" Nick said "You had pneumonia, and when your birthday came, your mom bought that for you so you didn't have to be alone in the room"

"Why she never told me?"

"I guess she assumes you remember" Nick said

"She assumes lots of things" Paige mumbled in annoyance. Nick stopped what he was doing and eyed Paige as he breathed out a soft laugh; he was aware of the complicated and weird relationship between her daughter and Claire.

And to be sincere, he didn't really know why her wife was so cold with Paige and definitely didn't understood why Paige was so distant as well, maybe it was just the effect of lots of years of ignorance.

"Look, I just found your brother's old soccer ball" Nick said grabbing it with a smile

"He never used it" Paige said

"Yeah… such a shame… but we definitely gave it a great use" Nick said, Paige suddenly remembered all those evenings, when her dad had the day off or spent the afternoon with them, they used to play soccer or baseball on the back yard, there were good moments

"Definitely"

They both reminded in a comfortable silence and smiling and giggling whenever they found something on the box that reminded them of something nice.

* * *

Time flew quickly until finally after what seemed like ages; Liam appeared by the garage door startling Nick and Paige who were engrossed with the newfound items.

"Hey guys" Liam said smiling as he walked over them curiously eyeing the box

"Finally" Paige said standing up and letting her brother hug her.

"You're late" Nick said a in a serious tone crossing his arms over his chest. Liam looked down in embarrassment as he tried to find what to say

"I know… I'm sorry… Caleb had a problem at the workshop" He explained

"Today is your mom's day, let everyone else deal with their problems" Nick said, he grabbed the box and placed it on the table closing it and walking to the car

"Well, I'm here now" Liam said "What were you doing?" He asked curiously

"Nothing… dad just found an old box in here" Paige explained

"Okay, you two get in the car" Nick ordered as he opened the vehicle "I'll go get your mom"

Liam and Paige watched as Nick disappeared into the house through the inside door of the garage and then they jumped into the car quickly, the last thing they wanted was to piss their parents off so they waited for them already sat inside the car.

"Mom's going to be pissed" Liam said breaking the silence that was filling the inside of the vehicle; Paige let out a sigh and nodded

"She's always pissed" She muttered

"Yeah, let's hope that she's in a better mood after we have a walk around the city… and how about you?" Liam asked patting Paige's shoulder softly and offering a smile

"What about me?" Paige asked

"Yeah how have you been? I haven't seen you in a few weeks"

"Everything's fine" Paige answered simply, she couldn't exactly say that she had been too busy hanging out with her teacher that happened to be her girlfriend.

"Caleb and I have missed you" Liam said "I thought you said that you were going to stay in our place whenever mom and dad had to work"

"I know" Paige said a bit uncomfortably "But you now… senior year is kind of overwhelming… and well I've been just a bit busy studying for my exams and hanging out with Aria"

"Oh, so you're on good terms again?" He asked in delight, Paige remembered their talk a few weeks ago when she and Aria were still fighting

"We're good now" Paige said smiling

"I told you, you two are meant to be best friends" he said

Liam seemed as if he was going to add something else, he was always talkative, at least with Paige and Paige didn't care, sometimes when she wasn't in the mood to talk it was nice to have her brother rambling about something he just came up with, he always had the craziest ideas.

But as he opened his mouth the front doors of the car opened and their parents sat finally inside ready to start the day finally. Liam undid his belt so he could lean forward and placed a kiss on her mom's cheek from behind

"Happy birthday mom" He said grinning, her mom turned around and returned the smile

"Okay, we can go finally" Nick said starting the engine and turning the radio on so they could hear some music

* * *

The ride was nice, actually a lot calmer than Paige had thought; she had to admit that she expected her mom to make some kind of mean comment about them being late, or just some bitter words as she always used to say, but surprisingly Claire was calm and she seemed to enjoy the ride.

Nick as always was in his light, happy mood, he and Liam had a few conversations during the ride sometimes joined by Claire and Paige made some comments too and then he just turned the volume on the radio up when a 80's song started to play and sang along with it not caring if he was completely out of tune.

Paige and Liam looked at each other between laughs as they heard her dad sing and Liam even dared to dance a bit moving his arms and mimicking his dad.

The time definitely passed quickly as they just enjoyed the ride; surprisingly the arrived sooner than planned to Philly and they reached their destination just in time.

Nick parked the car near a square at the center and they just took a few hours to walk around and see the stores and shops as they waited for the time of their reservation.

The weather seemed to be on their side that day, Nick had announced yesterday that the news said that it might rain but for the moment it didn't seem so; the sky was clear blue with the sun bright above the buildings creating a warm atmosphere despite of the cold proper of the season; it might not be incredibly hot, but it was nice to have a break from all the cold that had been doing for the past month.

And for everyone's sake, Claire seemed to be in tune with the weather; because she definitely was relaxed and even allowed herself to make a few jokes and laugh around with her husband as they walked around.

It wasn't as she never laughed or joked, but it seemed as if lately the only times she did it were just in rare occasions, it had been a long time since Paige haven't seen her so calm and enjoying the day without being mean or trying to pressure everyone.

For a moment it was as if they really were a happy family and things were perfect for them, they stopped a few times to buy ice cream and then for Paige to take pictures to remember that day.

Last year, Claire's birthday had been quite different; she had a complete shift so Paige and Nick bought a cake for her and they ate it and gave her the presents in the small waiting room, and then Claire just ran again to work.

This year though Nick had convinced her to ask for a free day since she definitely could manage it so they could spend a great time together; Nick was really aware of the big changes his family was taking lately. First of all was Cassie, she left to New York to start a life there and then it was Liam; Nick knew that his son moved out of the house because of Claire's and Paige's constant fights, it was obvious that the boy just ran away, and it was obvious that Paige was heading that way as the years passed.

Nick's biggest fear was to lose all her kids because of the distance between his family; and he knew that it was happening, so have a day of break and being able to be together was nice and a good way to free the tension and problems.

Finally after a few hours of just walking and having a nice time enjoying the day, they went to the restaurant, it was Claire's favorite restaurant so it was obvious that they were going there, they had the best chef in the city. They arrived to the place and followed the waiter to their table, a big well decorated table next to the picture window.

"Thanks for coming today" Paige whispered to her brother as they finally sat around the table reading the menu. Claire and Nick were discussing something in between whispers, probably about food; Liam was just reading the name of the plates pretending that he understood what they meant.

"Well, I couldn't leave you alone with these two" He said pointing discretely to their parents; Paige let out a laugh

"It's definitely better than last year… at least mom is more relaxed"

"She's always worrying too much about work" Liam said "I guess it's great for her to go out from time to time"

"It's weird though to see her like this" Paige breathed out as she placed the menu on the table, she was just going to wait for her parents to ask for their plates and then she probably was going to order the same.

"She's a human you know" Said Liam as he rubbed his sister's shoulder playfully "She likes to have free days as the rest of us… is just that she don't really needs them"

"I guess"

"Have you decided what to order yet?" Nick asked now to the siblings. Paige and Liam looked at each other and shook their heads

"Can't I just order a burger or something like that?" Liam asked "I have no idea what any of these names are"

"You should give junk food a rest for a while" Claire said addressing to her son politely

"We'll ask for you then" Nick said smiling

"Fine with me" Paige said "I definitely have no idea what to order"

"You should start with the salads" Claire said pointing the salads variety on the menu "And then maybe some vegetables with meat, you need protein"

"Ugh… mom you know I hate vegetables" Paige mumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck

"You need them, you have to follow a strict diet if you have to keep your body fit" Claire said nonchalantly

"My body is fine" Paige pushed back a bit irritated "I've been training harder and making extra practices to stay fit"

"Well, then if you can give that dedication to your exercise you could do the same with the food"

"It's not as if she eats pizza every day mom" Liam said trying to lighten the conversation; Claire seemed definitely calmed but he could tell that Paige was beyond annoyed

"Who knows" Claire breathed out "I don't want to know what kind of stuff you two eat when she stays at your house"

"Okay, okay" Nick said finally cutting the conversation "We're here to have a great time, and enjoy the day, so let's stop worrying about something as stupid as food and let's eat in peace"

No one said a word after this; Paige looked down visibly pissed off and Claire just continued reading the menu nonchalantly, Liam and Nick exchanged a few worried gazes trying to decipher if the two women were good now.

The waiter arrived a few minutes later and waited patiently until everyone ordered what they wanted, Nick and Liam ordered some roast beef with salad, Claire ordered risotto and Paige ended up ordering a plate of soup and a big salad. She didn't want another argument about her food.

Somehow, after their little fight before, they managed to get through the rest of the lunch time without any more arguments or mean comments, Paige decided to keep her mouth shut for as long as she could as they finished their food and ate the dessert.

And after that they left the restaurant ready to walk around for a while more; this time though the mood wasn't as good as in the morning, there was a slight tension in the atmosphere, Paige was visibly pissed off, and Claire was visibly ignoring to talk to her, maybe trying to avoid another fight that will enervate her husband.

Liam walked close to his sister trying to analyze her and be close in case Paige needed to talk or just someone to lean on to ease up the annoyance.

Nick wasn't exactly pissed off as his daughter but he was a bit let down, it was really frustrating to know that they couldn't have a family day without a stupid argument in the middle, he had been looking forward to this day to be perfect and now he could sense the tension and that definitely was frustrating.

Fortunately they managed to keep things cool; Nick and Liam as always stablished a nice conversation that helped lighten the mood and were joined by Claire who seemed more calmed and in good terms. The only one maintaining the distance was Paige, who reminded silent for the past hours as they walked around the city.

The only moment that could be considered as happy was the one when Nick finally gave Claire her gift. They walked into an old small jewelry and Paige and Liam waited outside with their mother as their dad went in to pick up and expensive bracelet he had bought for his wife.

That was the only time Paige talked for the rest of the afternoon; they went back to the car and Nick drove to a cinema where there were playing old movies, the ones that Claire loved, and they watched it even if Liam hated the plan.

By the time they finished it was starting to get dark outside so finally they went back to Rosewood to finish the day.

Back at home Liam settled his laptop on the living room and they all chatted for a long while with Cassie, who had postposed an important meeting to talk to her family. During the talk she could notice the strange atmosphere between Paige and her mom but that was nothing new at this point; she just hoped that things could get better.

* * *

It was a little bit past eight when Emily arrived home after a long day outside; she was content thought about how everything developed since that morning, it had been great to spend the day outside rather than to be alone at home as she had expected in the first place.

Her day had started at ten o'clock, when the alarm beeped repeatedly waking her and Spencer who had finally fallen asleep in her bed; Emily secretly had asked her friend to sleep next to her mostly because she had missed human contact during the week and she had fell asleep whishing that the one next to her was Paige…

When they woke up Spencer peeked through the curtains quickly to see if the weather was okay enough to go outside as they had planned, and she was greeted by a clear blue sky and a bright sun, so their plan was on.

They took their time to get changed, in the end it was their free day so there was no rush; and when they were changed and ready to go Emily invited Spencer for breakfast on the Brew since it was right under Emily's apartment.

It felt incredibly good to have a free day and spend it in a good company; Spencer was a really nice person and she offered interesting talk so they really talked a little bit about everything as they walked to this gallery Spencer wanted to see.

The pieces of art; the paintings and the sculptures where exquisite, Emily felt like a child in a candy shop as she eyed everything and walked along the gallery reading the descriptions and babbling at the incredible talent exposed in there.

Spencer walked silently next to her, her mouth hanging open as she studied every single piece in there.

And after a few hours of enjoying, they decided to go have lunch together; they ate at this small restaurant near the gallery and then walked a bit around the center, just spending some more time until they finally decided to head home again.

Spencer took the bus to head home; she hugged her goodbyes to Emily and then headed home finally after being almost all day with her friend.

Emily was grateful for Spencer's company, it had been really nice to share the day with someone and it had been quite special for her; it felt as if she had found a new best friend after all, and she felt happy about it.

Back in California she had had quite a few friends and more important, quite a few really good friends but since she arrived to Rosewood again she had missed to have someone like that, someone to just hang out and to spend nice times and talk about life and share things.

And as she walked to her apartment finally she smiled happily at the memories of the day; she felt good; Spencer was definitely a good friend and a better person.

Emily walked along the sidewalks without any rush since she had managed to finish her work last night after her dinner with Spencer; she enjoyed the sights and the air even if it was starting to get a bit colder than before. And as she became closer to her building she noticed the big dark clouds that were starting to form up in the sky.

She entered her apartment with a heavy sigh, she was actually tired after being all day walking around but it was good though, and she definitely needed it.

But now that she found herself alone, submerged in the slight darkness of her house she felt a small shiver running along her back; afraid of suffering a new panic attack, Emily turned on the lights quickly and walked to her bedroom where she stripped off her clothes and decided to take a nice bath as she heard some relaxing music.

It was a nice way to end her day and to relax, the water always relaxed her and being submerged in the tube with hot water, a glass of wine next to her, her favorite book and some music was a perfect plan that actually helped her to keep her mind of thinking too much.

By the time she exited the tube (when the water finally became cold), the sound of a thunder startled her; she had imagined that it will rain, and it definitely did. Emily walked to the living room and she could hear perfectly the impact of the rain drops against the windows.

"Movie time" She whispered as she jumped on the couch and grabbed the remote, now it was definitely the best way to end up her amazing Sunday.

It had been a nice day so the best thing to do now was to take a break and relax as she enjoyed a movie as she heard the rain outside while she was home warm and covered in her blanket as she ate some popcorn quietly.

* * *

Paige was sat at the kitchen table in front of a plate of salad as she heard her parents rambling about medical boring stuff; her head propped on her hand as she played with a piece of lettuce while she sighed.

Liam had gone home a few hours ago, and after changing into more comfortable clothes and finishing her homework Paige had went downstairs to have dinner with her parents.

This wasn't a usual thing now, they only had dinner together in really rare occasions; and Paige was actually used to eat alone at nights or just with her dad, it felt weird to be sat at the kitchen with both her parents.

Her gaze moved from her plate to one of the windows in front of her, the rain had started a while ago; it started softly but now they could hear the drops slamming with force against the windows. Paige's mind zoned out completely as she eyed two water drops racing along the glass as they made its way down.

She suddenly thought about Emily; she hadn't really had the chance to think about her in all day and she wondered what she would be doing now… one of the great things of being home alone, or just with her dad was the fact that she could perfectly call Emily without having to worry if her mom would listen to her.

Nick used to pass out in the couch around ten o'clock; after having dinner he liked to have a glass of wine and sit in front on the TV to watch some kind of boring documentary and then he just fell asleep, so Paige could call Emily and spend hours talking to her, and if she was alone she could even make a visit to Emily's apartment.

But now that Claire was home… it was different. Her mother was beyond strict, and if she heard Paige talking over the phone past ten or eleven she probably will get really mad at her; and probably she will find out who Paige was talking to.

So Paige sighed sadly now that she realized that she wasn't going to be able to talk to Emily; which was a real shame, because she needed to hear her voice, and actually she really missed her, it had been a long week and she didn't really know when they were going to be able to have some alone time.

"Right Paige?" Her dad's voice startled her and caught her off ward as she peered through the window. She finally returned to planet earth after being lost in thought and looked between her mom and dad trying to remember what they had said.

"What?" She mumbled finally, she didn't fail to notice the annoyance in her mother's look

"I was saying that you are going to rock it in your next swim meet" Nick said as he chewed on his sandwich; Paige's intentions had been to eat a sandwich too at first, but her mother had insisted in that she should stop eating carbs at night so she ended up eating a simple salad…

"I guess" She said still playing with a piece of lettuce, her mother raised her gaze from her own plate and frowned as she saw Paige

"Stop playing with your food" She said. Paige immediately dropped the fork and sighed

"I heard that Coach Fulton has lots of expectations on you" Nick said smiling proudly

"Yeah" Paige mumbled "She's been making me train really hard lately, she thinks I have a chance to get a scholarship"

"You definitely need one" Claire said "And you need to win and break records if you want to impress the scouts"

Paige looked down visibly sad and swallowed; her mom was always insisting in that she had to study in the same college as they parents did, and what was worst was that she pressured her to be a doctor as her…

"Would… would it be that bad if I…"

"What" Claire asked raising an eyebrow questioningly, Nick played dumb as he finished his sandwich praying silently so they wouldn't start another argument.

"I don't really see myself as a doctor" Paige said in a weak voice. Claire cleared her throat and let out a small laugh

"Well, I didn't too when I was young, but you need to do something with your life"

"I can do plenty of other things rather than medicine" Paige said

"Like what? Photography?" Claire said blatantly, she breathed out a laugh and then frowned again "You need to have a real career and a real job"

"Photography is a real job mom" Paige said starting to get angry

"It is just a hobby; I let you work with that weird old man on weekends because you need some money too, but you need to mature a bit and start looking forward to your future, medicine is a decent career with lots of benefits and not an amateurish unsettled job"

"Just because it's different from what you do doesn't mean that it's worse" Paige said raising her voice

"I'm not having this argument with you Paige" Claire matched her tone as she spoke

"Of course not!" At this point Paige was literally yelling as she stood up abruptly "You never want to talk about it"

"Watch your tone" Claire said

"Or what?!" Paige yelled back. Nick was about to interrupt them to put some order when Paige slammed her fists hard against the table "I hate you!" She said, and with that she started to run towards the front door trying to hold back her tears.

The last thing she heard was her father's worried voice calling her name trying to stop her, but she didn't, she reached the door quickly and slammed it shut with force behind her as she stepped onto the street and started to run at first with no direction.

Nick stopped once he heard the door and rubbed his temples furiously as he went back to the kitchen where his wife was sat with her face buried between her hands.

"I hope you're happy now" he said

"Where did she go?" Claire asked

"I don't know, probably with Liam, or Pam"

"She'll be fine tomorrow"

"I don't think so" Nick said harshly

"Are you mad too?" Claire asked in disbelief

"What do you think?" Nick asked "Can you tell me why the hell you have to be so hard on her?"

"I'm not hard"

"For god's sake… she's only eighteen and you already want to plan her future for her" Nick stated trying not to raise his voice too much

"She needs to start looking for her future, and you know it"

"Then let it do it on her own"

"She can do better than photography, I won't let her get wasted when she can give more" Claire said defiantly.

"Cassie is gone" Nick said with a really hard tone as he looked straight into Claire's eyes "She preferred to study law rather than medicine and chose to live in New York because she didn't want to be near us, Liam ran away from this house because she couldn't stand your arguments with Paige, and now Paige is going the same way as her siblings"

Claire made a move to speak but for the first time in years Nick stopped her and looked at her with hurt and sadness.

"I swear to God that if our little girl runs away too because of you, I am not going to forgive you" He said

He didn't wait for an answer, Nick walked out of the kitchen and walked to his office slamming the door and leaving Claire alone in the kitchen; she reminded in silence as she thought about the previous words, she felt a lump in her throat but swallowed it as she stood up and started to clean the table quietly; she had never saw her husband like this… and she never hear Paige speak to her like the way she did… everything was changing an she seemed to be the only one that couldn't cope with that.

* * *

Paige was completely out of breath as she ran, now at a slower pace along the dark streets; tears streaming down her eyes as she sobbed, she hadn't really realized what she was doing when she left her house and now, since it was still raining, she was completely drenched from head to toe.

She arrived to the corner of a street and stopped abruptly after a few minutes of running nonstop, her breathing was heavy, and she was shivering since she was only dressed with a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Now she could think a bit more properly than before; she had been so angry that the only thing that seemed correct was to go away rather than be locked up in the house with her mother; she didn't want to be in the same space as her, at least not now.

After taking a second to think and to recover her breath; Paige started to walk, her trainers were completely wet and she could feel her socks uncomfortable against her skin, but now she couldn't do anything… she didn't want to go home, so she just walked hugging herself trying to stop the cold on her body.

Her steps, finally led her to a familiar building; in other occasions she probably would've chosen to go to Pam's or Liam's, they had been her shelter for a while, but now she didn't need to see them. And even if she needed… her body decided to go other way.

She stood in front of the big door outside of the building and she took a deep breath hoping that Emily was home, it wasn't too late actually, but she didn't know if Emily was going to be there since she never warned her that she was coming over.

* * *

Emily was sprawled on her couch, eating a package of chocolate cookies as she watched some random TV program that was airing at that moment; that had been her amazing plan during the evening, she had seen a movie and then, not knowing what to do she had just let the TV on, in the end she didn't have anything better to do.

When the intercom sounded a few times she moved on the couch startled at the sound; she wasn't expecting anyone that night, and she eyed the clock on her phone… it was a little past ten…

She was about to let it go and keep watching the program when the intercom sounded again; and finally she stood up lazily and walked along the corridor to answer it.

"Hello?" She said sounding confused; she could hear the rain through the line and a heavy breathing

"Emily" Emily recognized the voice immediately

"Paige?" She said "What are you doing here?"

"Can you let me in…? I can explain to you later" Paige begged. Emily seemed to react finally and opened the door and waited patiently for Paige to arrive upstairs.

When the girl finally arrived, Emily observed her carefully, she had thought that maybe Paige had gone to see her to give her a surprise or something but once she was face to face with her, and saw the sadness in the girl's face she knew that something bad happened.

Paige was drenched; her clothes were leaving a small pool of water by the door as she stood there shivering and offering a soft smile.

"God" Emily mumbled worriedly; she grabbed Paige by the arm and pulled her into the house "What are you doing here like this?" She asked

Paige didn't say a word at first; she was exhausted, her eyes were red, and the trails of her previous tears were mixed up with the trails of the rain drops than ran along her skin. Emily led her to the bedroom and ran to one of her drawers to grab a towel; then she wrapped it around Paige as she helped her to dry a bit

"You're freezing" She said as she ran a hand softly against Paige's cheek, Paige looked at her through heavy eyes and sighed "What's wrong?" Emily said worried "Talk to me"

"I had nowhere else to go" Paige breathed out with a shaky voice; Emily looked at her in concern; she had no idea what had happened but Paige seemed really upset, and since the girl didn't offer more explanations she just decided to go for a hug.

Paige was a bit surprised at first when she felt Emily wrapping her arms tightly around her; she wasn't expecting it; but it felt good… it felt good to feel the warmth of the woman's body against her, and she had been so agitated before that the intensity of the moment brought tears to her eyes once again.

She buried her face on Emily's shoulder and allowed herself to cry for a while as Emily held her and rubbed her back gently whispering loving words into her ear.

They both reminded in silence; Paige trying to calm herself and Emily trying to offer support, she had no idea what had happened, but she knew that it must've been something really bad if Paige was so upset and so agitated.

Fortunately within the seconds, the girl managed to calm a bit and stop crying until she was silent breathing steadily against Emily's neck while Emily held her.

"Better?" Emily asked finally after a while moving to see Paige's face.

Paige sniffed wiping the tears from her eyes and nodded while she let out a heavy sigh; she hadn't really thought too much about what she was doing when she came to see Emily, she didn't realize that she had just come to her until now, that she was standing on her bedroom after crying on her shoulder.

Emily wrapped the towel once again around Paige's body and eyed her carefully; she completely forgot the fact that now she was also wet since Paige had pressed her drenched clothes against her while hugging.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Emily asked in a sweet voice, she eyed Paige carefully, studying her expression and running a thumb along the cold skin of her cheek.

"My mom" Paige said simply swallowing her tears once again as her mind went back to her argument a while ago. Emily didn't really need more explanation, she was aware of Paige's lame relationship with Claire, and probably what she was seeing now in front of her was the result of a fight or an argument.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emily asked gently, she looked straight into Paige's eyes letting her know that she was there for whatever she needed, maybe it was talking or maybe not, Emily just didn't want Paige to shut her out now that she was upset.

"No" Paige muttered simply. She already wasted so many time crying and hurting over what happened and wasn't in the mood now to continue crying and remembering what had happened. She had come to see Emily because she just needed her, she needed to feel her, to talk to her or maybe just to be near her and she didn't want to waste that time by bringing up her bad relationship with her mother.

Emily tucked a strand of wet hair behind Paige's ear and smiled softly, the girl shivered once again under her touch and offered a shy smile for the first time since she was there.

"You need a hot shower" Emily said as she finally separated from Paige.

She moved around the room quickly opening her closet to pick up some dry clothes for Paige and then picked up another towel, everything under the curious look of Paige, who was quiet standing on her spot with the towel wrapped around her.

"I'm not burdening you right?" Paige asked softly, she tried to control the now violent shiver of her body since she was totally freezing. Emily walked to her again smiling and let out a laugh in disbelief

"Of course not" She said "You never do"

She placed a soft kiss on Paige's cheek and then grabbed her hand softly and led her to the bathroom.

Paige stepped inside and eyed the tube in silence as she waited for Emily to place the clothes and the towel on the sink next to her, then she turned around and their eyes met awkwardly as they stood in the bathroom in silence.

Emily could've just gone to the living room again to leave Paige some privacy; she could just have excused herself and leave the girl alone, but something in Paige's big brown eyes were telling her not to go.

And in the other hand Emily didn't make any move to go so they stood there, Paige disentangled her arms from her chest and let them fall to the sides silently begging Emily to do something as she stood still.

Emily took the hint quickly and reached out her hand to grab the hem of Paige's t-shirt slowly sliding up to take it off.

The cold air of the bathroom hit Paige's torso making her shiver once more, she now stood in just her sweatpants and her black bra.

Emily's eyes roamed freely along Paige's exposed creamy skin, she couldn't believe how beautiful the girl was, the curves on her body were delicate, and she couldn't avoid to reach her hand once again and placed her palm flatly against Paige's abdomen caressing the soft flesh she found there and marveling on how smooth it was.

Paige closed her eyes at the contact, she wasn't used to have someone touching her like that but the way Emily seemed to be enjoying it, made her tremble; Emily's fingertips graced softly the skin on her stomach raising the temperature as she touched, Paige's lips parted softly and she let out a soft yelp in pleasure when she felt Emily's hand lowering on her body.

Emily placed both hands finally on the waistband of Paige's sweats and stopped, quickly looking at Paige to ask for permission. She was still aware of Paige's insecurity when it came to be intimate and now that she was literally about to take the girls pants, she at least wanted her to give her permission.

Paige opened her eyes when she felt Emily's hand stop the ministrations and opened her eyes; making eye contact with the woman. She understood what Emily was about to do and nodded softly allowing her to do what she was about to.

Soft hands graced the soft skin on her hips, touching the hip bone gently and then moved down a bit until she graced the material of the waistband.

Emily looped her fingers gently with the pants and tugged the material down gently and, in Paige's opinion, painfully slowly. She kneeled down in front of the girl as she slid the sweats down revealing Paige's girl boxers on the way and smiling gently at the view.

Paige placed both hands on Emily's shoulders for support as she lifted up one foot at the time to help her finally get rid of the pants.

Emily took her time to observe the girl in front of her; she ran her hands up Paige's legs and she kissed her way up the girl's body. She first place one shy kiss near the edge of Paige's panties, which caused the girl to groan at the sensation, and then she started to kiss more fervently up her abdomen getting goosebumps all over her skin.

She finally stood up again facing Paige directly and for the first time since she arrived to the apartment, Emily joined their lips together in a soft but steady kiss.

Paige responded to the contact immediately, moving her lips against Emily's trying to express everything she felt in it; she slowly moved her arms up the woman's boy until she finally wrapped them around Emily's neck holding onto her as she felt Emily's hands on her waist gently.

But as the seconds passed they started to kiss with more urgency, their lips parted allowing their tongues to meet and their lips moved faster against each other.

Emily's body was on fire; she was dwelling in with trying to be gentle and patient with her urge for touching Paige, she wanted to take her right there, to touch her and make love to her all night if it was necessary. And by the way Paige was holding onto her, with such need and want, she could tell that she needed the same.

In one quick movement, Emily lifted Paige and moved her onto the sink, letting the clothes fall to the floor, but none of them cared about that.

Paige wrapped her legs around Emily's waist pulling her impossibly closer as she tugged on her shirt and kissed her hard and faster than before nipping her lips and brushing her tongue against Emily's.

Then she left the woman's mouth and started to kiss down her neck at the same time as she tugged harder onto Emily's shirt encouraging her to take it off.

Emily took the hint and moved quickly to slide the shirt off of her body as she tried not to leave Paige's lips for too long.

Paige stared at her as the garment slid up her body; her mouth hanging open as she observed every centimeter of Emily's torso, from her perfect hipbones to the valley of her still covered breasts. When the shirt touched the floor finally they looked at each other panting hard and they once again started kissing frantically.

This was not what either of them had in mind for the night, definitely not what Emily was thinking when she offered Paige to take a bath; but the need was consuming both of them now. Paige could feel wetness pooling between her legs as they kissed harder and the only thing she could think now was in touching Emily and let Emily touch her.

Emily seemed to read her mind as she moved to kiss down her neck and then, she grabbed the strap of the girl's bra pulling it down and nipping on the skin of her shoulder; her other hand moving to cup Paige's breast rubbing her palm against it until she felt the nipple hardening under her touch. Paige just held herself against Emily's body moaning in pleasure.

And then just as quick as it started, Emily removed her mouth and hands from Paige's body and moved a bit to put some distance.

Paige observed her confusing as she panted hard trying to recover her breath. She didn't know what was happen next, but whatever it was, she was more than ready, and Emily knew it.

The woman approached Paige until she rested her forehead against hers and they both reminded silent for a moment recovering their breaths.

"I really need to fuck you right now" Emily confessed in a whisper. Paige's stomach twisted at the words and she felt them straight to her core. "But I don't want to rush it"

Paige understood it. Emily needed her as much as she did right now, but even if they both were burning in desire and want for each other it still was their first time together, and let it happen in a bathroom, wasn't probably the best idea. Paige wrapped her arms around Emily hugging her and moved to whisper something in her ear.

"I'm yours" She mumbled shyly blushing intensely at her own words.

Emily smiled gently and kissed her cheek lovingly; then she moved to the bath tub and started the hot water as she waited for Paige to jump off the sink.

Now it came the hardest part in Paige's opinion. She had to get naked in front of Emily… and even if she was really excited to see the woman's body she was still a bit nervous about the fact that Emily was going to see her naked.

Emily didn't hesitate though; she took off her own pants and then eyed Paige cautiously. The girl was standing near the tub hugging herself as she eyed Emily's body probably waiting to see what her next movement was going to be.

Emily smiled softly and finally unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor and then moved to take off her panties standing completely naked in front of Paige.

The girl seemed as she was going to pass out, her eyes were opened wide and her jaw almost fell to the floor as she looked the perfection that was Emily's body.

"Need help?" Emily asked with a jovial, teasing tone as she waited for Paige to react.

Paige breathed out a soft laugh and finally moved to strip off the rest of her clothes until she was finally naked trying not to feel too embarrassed.

She couldn't help to cover her bare chest with her arms, now that she was naked she felt vulnerable, and somehow, Emily's intense stare made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Don't" Emily said in a whisper placing her finger under Paige's chin to make her look up "Don't hide from me"

Paige nodded softly and moved her arms to the sides. Now there was nothing to hide; they were both naked, and by the strong connection Paige could feel right now she could say that their nakedness wasn't only physical.

They stepped finally under the hot water and stood there in silence for a moment as the water warmed up their bodies. It felt good, after being drenched and running under the cold to be welcomed by hot water and Emily's warm arms.

Emily wrapped her arms around Paige from behind, carefully waiting for Paige to adjust to the sensation of their bodies pressed without any barrier, and then she started peppering kisses along the girl's neck and shoulders.

Paige could only stay still and moan at the attention; Emily's hands moved slowly until she cupped her bare breasts from behind earning soft moans from Paige as she rubbed her palms over the nipples, and then she let her hands roam along the girl's torso until she reached the spot between Paige's legs.

A groan escaped Paige's lips as she felt Emily's soft hands gracing her core softly. It was the sexiest thing she had ever experienced, and she felt as if she was going to explode it Emily didn't touch her.

A few moments passed until Paige finally turned around to face Emily; she didn't want her to be the only one enjoying the touches, so she moved her hands until she finally cupped Emily's breasts for the first time.

Emily didn't waste her time and kissed her deeply as she let the girl touch her body gently; they both moaned when Paige's hands moved to her lower back, finally landing on Emily's butt pulling her closer so their bodies where completely pressed together.

"You are so perfect" Paige mumbled against her lips, Emily smiled

"So are you" She said back kissing Paige's soft lips once again "And as much as I want you right now… I have to suggest that we shower quickly" She said finally "We're going to turn into a prune and the water is going to get cold"

Paige had to agree, they couldn't exactly stay in there forever even though it sounded really tempting, but Emily was right.

They rushed to finish showering, Emily helped Paige washing her hair and then after quickly cleaning their bodies they finally exited the tub and dried quickly.

It was worth the wait, because after finishing in the bathroom, Emily lifted Paige once again, eliciting a moan from the girl when her core made full contact with the skin of Emily's stomach; then she carried her to the bed where she placed Paige.

"Is this really happening?" Paige asked with a shaky voice. Emily was standing in front of her; she eyed the girl carefully studying her expression in search of any sign of doubt

"Do you want to?" She asked. Paige smiled shyly and dipped her head

"I want you" She said more secure this time.

Emily smiled at her and then moved quickly pushing Paige back so she was lying fully on the bed and then straddled her hips; they both moaned at the contact, it felt so intimate and yet so hot.

Paige was about to pull Emily into her once again to initiate the heated kissing once more, hoping that it will led finally to them probably making love or whatever it was going to happen, but instead she propped herself on her elbows to look more directly at Emily.

"What?" Emily asked confused, she felt a bit insecure for a moment; she didn't know if she was ready now for Paige to stop her…

"Nothing… is just…"

"Just what?" Emily asked

"I know you're not Shana" Paige said in a weak voice, Emily frowned in confusion "But… I can't avoid being a bit scared" she confessed.

During their heated make out session in the bathroom; Paige had been thinking about her conversation with Aria from last night, she had been able to open herself to her best friend so it was about time to do the same with her girlfriend.

"About what?" Emily asked, she was about to move to lie next to Paige maybe to start a serious conversation about this, but Paige stopped her

"I don't want to be a disappointment… I mean… I am not exactly experimented in… having sex" She said the last words in a soft whisper and her cheeks flushed as she said it.

Emily let out a laugh and cupped Paige's cheeks softly moving in to kiss her gently, she was thankful that finally Paige had decided to be open with her.

"What's so funny?" Paige asked as she felt Emily still smiling against her lips

"You" Emily said sweetly "I seriously can't believe that you think that you're going to disappoint me"

"I don't know… but Shana said…"

Emily placed her finger over Paige's mouth making her stop what she was saying; she then, moved to lie fully on top of her.

"I don't care what she said" Emily said softly offering a smile "If she thought that you were a disappointment, then she just was a stupid person that never understood a thing about sex… or love for that matter, and you can relax because I could never think that about you, I think that you are perfect in every way; everything we'll do in bed is going to be just perfect"

Paige felt tears coming to her eyes as she heard the reassuring words, she never felt so content as right now and instead of answering she just trapped Emily's lips between her own with force, kissing her as if it was the last thing she was going to do.

Their kiss started slow, passionate and with a force that had never been there before, it was as if they needed it, as if they both were giving each other into the kiss completely trying to convey their feelings.

Paige moaned loudly when she felt Emily's mouth, after leaving a trail of kisses down her throat, connecting with the soft flesh of her breast; she tangled her hands in Emily's hair as she felt the woman's hot tongue circling her nipple and kneading her other breast with her free hand.

Emily didn't waste time exploring the other girl's body; she had weeks of pent up sexual frustration and she needed to let it out, and now that Paige was confident enough and that seemed to be sure she needed to touch her and feel her in every way.

Their bodies were completely pressed against each other, creating a delicious friction that left them both completely out of breath and definitely wanting more as they grew more worked up by their kisses and touches. The sexual tension growing between them as they gave in into the pleasure was literally unbearable.

"You feel so fucking good" Emily said as she teased her hand around Paige's mounds and then she ran them down her sides, she was still marveled of how gorgeous Paige was.

"Tell me what you want" Emily whispered after a long deep kiss. She still wanted to keep her head cool so she wouldn't do anything Paige wasn't ready for yet. She was totally surprised when Paige grabbed her hand gently and led it down her body until it reached the heat in between the girl's legs.

Emily groaned as she ran a finger carefully over Paige's wet folds trying to see if this was okay; she couldn't deny that she had wanted to be inside the girl for quite a while now, so she hoped that Paige was ready for it as much as she was.

"I want to feel you inside me" Paige whispered shyly into her ear. Emily felt the words right into her core, and felt a new pang of wetness pooling between her legs, she let out a breath that she had been holding and ran her finger along Paige's slit teasingly and carefully not wanting to be rough.

She looked at Paige once more wanting to make sure one last time that she was sure, in the end this was the real point of no return. Paige nodded lightly and Emily lowered herself so she could see what she was doing properly.

And finally, after teasing Paige's entrance a few times and running her thumb over the girl's clit several times eliciting moans of pleasure from her she introduced her finger slowly and waited it inside for a few seconds waiting for Paige to adjust to de sensation.

Emily groaned in pure pleasure when she felt her own finger disappearing inside of Paige; the girl had her eyes closed as she enjoyed the moment and her lips slightly parted as she breathed heavily, or as Emily realized later, holding a breath as she felt Emily inside

She let out a soft smile and then started to move her finger, first she slid it out and pushed back inside gently making Paige groan and then finally she added a second finger moaning herself at the feeling of Paige stretching out at her intrusion.

They started a soft pace. Emily moved her fingers inside and out gently at first not wanting to hurt Paige and Paige matched her rhythm pushing her hips with each thrust.

Emily then felt the urge to connect her lips to Paige's once again and rested her body once again on top of hers as she reached her mouth.

"You can breathe now" She said laughing softly when she felt Paige containing her breath.

Paige let out a heavy breath along with a deep groan and then opened her eyes to look at Emily; their lips joined again as their rhythm grew faster, until finally their kissing became erratic and Paige just moaned as Emily kissed her neck while thrusting into her.

"F-faster" Paige begged trying to concentrate on her words "Fuck…" She mumbled after

Emily fastened her movements and pushed deeper as she hear Paige's moans become louder. She smiled proudly when she saw Paige now groaning in abandon begging her not to stop and to push harder; she never had seen the girl like this and it was seriously the sexiest and most sensual thing she had ever experienced.

"Emily…" Paige said in a low pleading voice as she held herself against Emily's body; she had just put her arms around the woman in need for something to hold on to. "I can't take it anymore" She breathed out finally as she growled. She could feel the intense heat that was forming on her lower stomach and the heat burning up between her legs with each thrust and each brush of Emily's thumb over her clit.

Emily nipped her neck and moved to bite her earlobe softly, she could sense how close Paige was, the way she was moving her hips, fast and hard against her hand indicated that she was losing control as the orgasm built up inside of her.

"Let go" She breathed into Paige's ear as she nibbled her earlobe and kissed her way to Paige's chest again.

Paige took a few more seconds a few more thrusts to finally come hard against Emily's hand. She let out a loud groan, followed by a heavy breath and then her body collapsed on the bed as she panted hard.

Emily kissed up to her face and placed soft pecks along the girl's cheeks and lips; waiting patiently for her to recover from her orgasm.

"Fuck" Paige mumbled still with her eyes closed and panting in desperate need for oxygen.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked smiling proudly; she moved to lie next to Paige so the girl had more space to recover. Paige smiled lazily as she opened her eyes finally and looked at Emily smiling shyly

"More than okay" She whispered, Emily ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead gently

"That good huh?" She asked teasingly, Paige laughed and nodded, in the end it had been the best sex she ever had

"Don't be so smug" Paige protested throwing her body over Emil's so she was half on top of her "We haven't finished"

"Really?" Emily asked a bit playfully and a bit surprised.

"You had fun already, now it's my turn" Paige said smiling devilishly. Suddenly every sign of insecurity, embarrassment and sadness she had had before disappeared; she was more than turned on, and seeing Emily, naked and ready underneath her made her mind burst in pleasure once again.

"You can do what you want then" Emily said smiling; Paige for a moment looked at her trying to figure out what she was going to do.

She had had something in mind for quite a while, but she felt as if it was too bold to ask for it… at least not yet, she had fantasized a few times about tasting Emily… give her pleasure with her mouth would have to be a really amazing experience but then her previous insecurity hit her.

She didn't really wanted to do something wrong the first time that she made love to Emily so finally, she took a quick decision.

Emily squirmed in pleasure when she felt Paige's mound pressed against hers making the right amount of pressure. Paige placed both hands on each side of Emily's head to steady her and then moved once again her hips to brush her sex against Emily's hard earning moans from the girl.

This was a very intimate position, their cores where directly touching with each thrust and it felt extremely good… Emily placed her hands on Paige's butt squeezing and trying to pull her even closer as they both pushed their hips to get more friction.

Paige tried to forget about her own pleasure and concentrated in Emily's orgasm; she leaned in to kiss the woman beneath her and their lips clashed hard as they desperately worked for their release.

Emily moved her hips frantically, moaning each time Paige's clit made contact with hers, she cried out in pleasure as she felt her body tense up at the movements.

"I'm not going to last so much…" Paige announced in a growl as she closed her eyes to concentrate; this was about Emily, so she had to last until she came first. Emily struggled to speak at first, she opened her mouth and a small moan escaped

"Me neither" She managed to say finally.

She pressed Paige even closer and spread her legs more allowing their centers to touch even better than before, and then she bite her lower lip when she felt her stomach contracting; fortunately for Paige, Emily finally gave into the pleasure and came with a loud moan as she finally relaxed, and then Paige finally came too groaning as she collapsed on top of Emily's body burying her face on the crook of the woman's neck.

"Holy shit…" Emily breathed out between pants "That was…"

"Yeah" Paige agreed understanding what she had wanted to say. They lied in silence, as they breaths returned to normal and the finally were more relaxed.

"This was… so fucking sexy" Emily mumbled as she wrapped her arms tightly around Paige's back.

Paige smiled and placed a few kisses on Emily's neck before finally nuzzling against the skin as she lied exhausted

"I can't believe this just happened" She mumbled. Emily laughed

"I know… and… do you regret something?" She asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

Paige separated just enough from Emily's body to be able to look at her in the eyes; how Emily could think that she was going to regret what just happened? It had been the best sex she had had in her whole life, and other than that, she now felt incredibly connected to her; they had always had a strong bond ever since they met years ago, and now… that connection seemed to be stronger and more palpable than before.

"No" Paige finally said "I could never regret doing this with you… I have been dreaming about this for a while"

"Actually me too" Emily admitted "You're just so irresistible" She said teasingly

"Do you think that things are going to change between us now?" Paige asked after a moment of silence.

Emily took a moment to think about the question, why would have things need to change, she frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean change?" She asked.

Paige finally slid off of Emily's body and lied next to her, grabbing the covers and pulling them over their bodies to block the sudden cold they felt after relaxing from all the activity.

"I don't know… it's just that… I always saw you like a sister… the sister I never had" Paige said "And my best friend too"

"Well, you were five at that time" Emily stated smiling at the memories "We were completely different people back then, I didn't know what I wanted from life and you were still a kid"

"Can I ask, what exactly changed between us to end up like this?" Paige asked pointing in between their naked bodies.

Emily looked up dubious and then smiled, she knew what Paige was trying to say; they had lived tons of things together and suddenly their bond had taken a real change, they were no longer the best friends in the world acting like sisters… they were now dating and everything between them seemed to be changing fast.

"I don't really know…" Emily said "I guess you're not a child anymore, you were totally cute and I loved your friendship but I guess we both have changed with the years"

"I still feel a really strong connection with you" Paige confessed shyly, Emily pecked her lips and smiled softly

"Me too, only now, besides that connection I feel this… powerful attraction to you that it's kind of unbearable sometimes"

"I guess we both feel the same" Paige agreed

"Yeah; and it's okay that things change after this you know?" Emily asked offering a smile and running her hand soothingly along Paige's arm "it just means another step in what we have, a deeper level of connection"

"I can't believe I was scared of taking this step" Paige laughed as she blushed at her previous doubts, Emily laughed as well and eyed her sweetly

"You have every right to be insecure" She said "And, look at the good side now"

Emily moved a bit and trapped Paige's bottom lip between hers sucking on it gently; Paige moaned against her lips and pulled her in closer until she was once more on top of her probably ready to start again.

"Now we can do this whenever we need to" Emily said in a purr smiling against Paige's lips.

Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's neck kissing her with abandon once again and letting her touch every inch of her body as they reignited the fire.

"You're wet again" Emily said in delight as she ran her hand along Paige's core earning a yelp in return.

She was aware that tomorrow they had school, and that it was late now, but they needed this, she needed to feel Paige as much as possible and she wasn't going to let this opportunity go, so without any doubt this time, she plunged two fingers inside of Paige and started once again to thrust in an out as she heard the girl's moans against her ear.

"Fuck" Paige said when she felt Emily's fingers working on her center.

She never imagined that coming to see Emily after leaving her house so mad and annoyed was going to end up like this; she definitely was going to need a few days to process the fact that she had had sex with Emily… or said in a better way, she had made love to Emily and it had been the best thing in the world

She never had felt something like this, not even with Shana; she had never felt something even similar with her ex, and as she approached her orgasm for the third time that night she thought that she had tons of things to discover referring to sex and love… and she wanted to discover them with Emily.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

 _12 years ago_

It was a warm night of summer, probably a little bit after midnight; everything was silent and calm except for the incessant sound of the crickets on the background and the soft waves of the pool moved by a soft, gentle breeze.

Paige was lying on a big white sheet that was placed over the grass, her head resting in a pillow and her body was slightly covered with a thin blanket. Above her, there was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen in her short life; the sky was dark, but not entirely black, it was more like a dark blue with shades of different types of blue and a bunch of beautiful bright stars covering it.

She didn't know exactly why, but the fact of looking at it, now that she was surrounded by the calm and nice atmosphere that was outside made her feel content and relaxed.

The sound of steps on the grass dragged Paige out of her thoughts but she didn't move her gaze from the sky; she already knew who it was and she was too engrossed trying to see any constellations but failing miserably.

"I'm back again" Emily's voice suddenly interrupted all the calmness in the place, Paige finally looked at her and smiled "I brought something nice"

She raised her hands and showed a package of chocolate, and a bag of chips she had found in the kitchen on her way to the bathroom. Paige eyed what Emily was showing her and covered her mouth with her hands in surprise at the same time she let out a devilish laugh

"Cassie was saving those" She whispered as if someone else was going to hear them. Emily laughed and without thinking about it she opened the bag of chips and ate one.

"I bet she doesn't mind that we borrow them for tonight" She said as she chewed happily

Paige let out a laugh and joined Emily without hesitation; she knew that her sister wasn't going to get mad with Emily so there was no problem.

Emily sat on the blanket and asked Paige to do the same so they could eat more properly; she placed the bag in between them and then looked around taking a big breath as she enjoyed the silence and the relaxing atmosphere.

They were alone in Paige's house, Nick and Claire where saying the night outside of Rosewood since they had a seminar the next day. At first, Cassie was going to stay home to take care of her siblings, but fortunately she ran into Emily that morning at the mall and convinced her to baby sit Paige and Liam.

Probably now Cassie would be having a hot date with her boyfriend… and since she was gone Liam had asked a friend if he could stay at his house for the night, so finally there was only Paige and Emily left in the house.

But this wasn't bad news though, actually Emily preferred it that way, and she knew that Paige too. So since it was really hot even if it was at night and since Paige had insisted in that she wanted to camp outside Emily had agreed so they had settled everything to sleep in the back yard for the night.

"Do you know the name of the stars?" Paige asked all of a sudden as she looked up to the sky; Emily looked up as well, pensive, and then shook her head lightly

"I don't" She said

"Dad says that each star has a name… and that you can see figures if you look well… but I can't really see anything" Paige complained, she had been trying to decipher some of those figures, called constellations but she hadn't seen any.

"Well, that's true, but believe me I have never been able to see anything either" Emily said smiling

"Are you still sad?" Paige asked once again all of a sudden.

Emily was really impressed on how easily was for Paige to change the subject so abruptly to bring up serious issues, she might be a six year old girl but sometimes she really seemed like a grown up… Emily looked at her at first playing dumb and frowning in confusion, she never mentioned anything to Paige about being sad

"Why do you say that?" She asked "I'm not sad"

The truth was actually that she was in fact, sad, or better said, upset and a bit frustrated; she had broken up with her boyfriend Ben a few weeks ago and the explanation she gave everyone was that she wasn't just happy enough with him and that she wanted to have some time on her own, and it might be half true… but the reality was that; Emily's emotions those days were completely upside down.

She was a mess, and she didn't even know how to talk about it or who she could go and talk before everything exploded inside of her.

Emily had started to feel that way probably long ago, but it was now that everything was popping out… she was almost hundred percent sure that she was gay… and the realization was being a bit painful, mostly because she didn't really know if that was how she was really feeling or not and if the people she loved where going to be okay with it.

She had been swallowing all this for the past months and now she was completely devastated, she had taken some distance with everyone, trying to avoid any kind of conversation that could led her to say it out loud… she was starting to become really frustrated.

"Cassie said that you were sad, that's why you didn't want to come to the pool with us" Paige said "And she said that you cried on Monday"

Paige was referring to when Cassie had went to her house to visit her last week and Emily, who wasn't expecting her opened the door not looking exactly the best… she had had her eyes red, and puffy, her friend had insisted in talk to her, but Emily had managed to avoid the conversation.

"I was sad on Monday" Emily admitted not wanting to lie

"Why?" Paige asked curiously

"I…"

"Where you upset with your mom?" Paige asked

"With my mom?"

"I cry when I am upset with my mom" the girl said looking down and sighing deeply. Emily let out a soft laugh at how cute Paige was when she tried to cheer her up

"I wasn't upset with my mom" Emily said, then she made a pause and looked down to her hands as she fidgeted nervously with the hem of her own shirt "I think I was just upset with myself" She admitted

"Why?" Paige asked again, she frowned not really understanding what Emily's words meant

"I guess because growing up is not as easy as it seems…" Emily whispered

Paige eyed her carefully; suddenly Emily seemed sad, with a dark expression in her face as she was lost in thought. It was obvious that something was troubling her but Paige didn't really know what to do or what else to say, in the end she didn't fully understand what Emily was trying to explain even if she kind of knew it.

So finally she decided to make a simple move, and wrapped her arms around Emily, this action caught Emily off guard, but she returned the hug immediately feeling the warmth of the girl's body against hers.

It was nice to have someone loving her, giving her full support without asking questions or making guesses about her; she knew that at some point she will have to talk to someone, she couldn't keep hiding herself forever and she definitely didn't want to spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she wasn't. But for the moment it felt good to have someone like Paige near her.

Paige didn't ask any more questions about Emily's sadness, they reminded hugged for a long while until finally they pulled apart and Emily suggested that they should sleep.

They talked about a few things after that, until Paige finally fell asleep cuddled against Emily's side. Emily lied next to her not wanting to move in case she would wake up the little girl. She eyed Paige carefully as she slept and then ran a finger along the girl's face softly.

Cassie had tried to cheer her up on Monday, she had tried to talk to Emily several times since then, and Paige with just a hug had managed to calm Emily and comforted her.

"Why aren't you a few years older?" Emily asked in a whisper, as she smiled, she would have to gain the courage to come out if she wanted to stop pretending but for the moment she felt safe and content enough thanks to Paige.

* * *

 _Present day_

The room was covered in a slight darkness; it was early in the morning when Emily finally opened her eyes after a peaceful sleep. She heard the sound of birds outside the window and saw the pale sun rays entering through the curtains and looked at the clock on the bedside table before turning around.

The view was breath taking; she smiled brightly and moved a bit so she was comfortably propped on her elbow watching the scene. Paige was still asleep, from her position Emily could only see her back but still the image was still just perfect.

The blankets were only covering half of the girl's body leaving her soft skin to the view, her breathing was soft and calm as she slept peacefully.

Emily couldn't believe what had happened last night, it felt unreal in one hand, as if it had been just a dream that never happened, but in the other hand it had been the most incredible experience she had ever had.

She could remember every touch, every word, every moan and every single thing they had done; and it had been perfect… Paige was perfect.

Emily didn't remember a time when she had been so happy and so comfortable with someone, she tried to remember a time when she felt such a strong connection and love as she did with Paige and she couldn't remember… not even with Maya.

She ran her hand carefully along Paige's back; she smiled when Paige mumbled something against the pillow and then continued sleeping, it felt as if the time had stopped around them…

Emily leaned in brushing her lips softly against Paige's skin, she peppered light kisses along her back and then moved to kiss her neck and bite her earlobe softly.

Paige stirred finally after a few seconds; she let out a yawn against the pillow and then smiled brightly when she felt Emily's kisses and hands on her body; it definitely felt amazing, and each kiss was like fire on her skin.

"Feels good…" Paige said with a husky sleepy voice. Emily let out a small laugh and kissed her again until Paige finally turned around.

They looked at each other briefly; Paige immediately buried her face in the pillow and blushed in embarrassment. She remembered what had happened last night, it had been so wonderful and amazing, and now they were both naked on the bed… she had never experienced something like this.

"Morning" Emily said smiling, she had been expecting Paige to be a little bit insecure after what they did, it was not her first time, but if all the previous experiences she had with sex were a disaster it was normal that she felt a bit weird or embarrassed now.

Paige offered a shy smile and then looked down probably trying to figure out what to say next; she didn't really know what she was supposed to say now or what to do.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, she found Paige's embarrassment from now really cute and funny, but she tried to be patient and just ask trying to speak and act normal rather than laugh or mention anything about it.

"Yeah" Paige mumbled finally

"Really?"

"Yes… I am more than fine" Paige said, she finally looked at Emily in the eyes and smiled at her, it felt weird, to wake up like this… naked in Emily's bed after a long night of lovemaking, first of all she still couldn't believe that she had sex with Emily, and second, all her insecurities were kind of popping out again. Paige looked down a bit ashamed and let out a sigh as she tried to process what happened.

"Hey" Emily moved closer to her, until their bodies were almost gracing against each other, then she cupped Paige's cheek gently and made eye contact once again "Don't look away" She mumbled

"I… don't know what to say" Paige confessed in a shaky voice after a moment. Emily looked at her and smiled at this, but at the same time eyed Paige with concern.

"You don't have to" She said trying to be reassuring. Paige blushed and then let out a soft smile "Do you have any doubts?" Emily asked finally.

Paige's attempt to smile disappeared when she noticed the slight hint of panic in Emily's voice, she seemed insecure for a moment and Paige realized that it was her fault, she was nervous, and a bit embarrassed maybe Emily thought that she was regretting something.

"No" Paige said finally looking at Emily in the eyes with a serious expression. She reached out a hand and ran her fingertips along Emily's arm until she cupped her cheek; Emily closed her eyes at the contact and then placed her hand atop Paige's "I don't have any doubts… it's just…"

"Just what?" Emily asked "You know you can always talk to me"

"What happened last night was…" Paige started but ran out of words midsentence and stopped talking trying to figure out what to say next, it wasn't easy for her to express her feelings so openly to people, and the experience she had shared with Emily last night was the most intimate experience she had in her life which meant that for the first time she was completely exposed in front of someone, and that was a bit scary…

"Amazing?" Emily joked trying to lighten the atmosphere; Paige let out a soft laugh and nodded

"Yeah" She said "It was"

"So… what is the problem?"

"I've never done this before" Paige whispered almost as if she was afraid of someone to hear her. Emily frowned in confusion.

"Sleep with someone?" She asked trying to follow Paige's words. Paige swallowed and shook her head

"No… I… never been with someone like right now… you know, like this" She said pointing between them

"There is always a first time for everything" Emily mumbled "Do you like this?" She asked

"Yeah, it's… I've never felt like this before" Paige admitted.

Emily now understood her, she smiled and then moved to kiss Paige's cheek sweetly trying to calm her and then she moved to kiss the girl's lips softly. Paige responded to the kiss quickly, it wasn't a passionate fast kiss as the ones they shared last night, this time it was gentle and sweet.

Their lips just moved against each other sloppily at first but steady at the same time, it didn't took too long for them to feel the heat raising inside their bodies. Emily's body rolled until she was on top of Paige once more, just as last night; she adjusted her weight on top of the girl's body and continued the kissing before she decided to speak again.

"You know…" She said between kisses and touches. Paige hummed against her mouth and then Emily moved to kiss her jaw line gently, nipping the skin softly and licking the soft flesh "I understand what you're saying" She finally said.

She managed to pull apart for a moment to look at Paige. Paige opened her eyes slowly and tried to reach Emily's lips once again but the woman stopped her.

"I feel the same way…" Emily said, she dipped her head and kissed Paige's neck before speaking again "Somehow I feel safe with you, and… comfortable"

Paige moaned when she felt Emily's hands running up her sides until she cupped her breasts, she let out a groan of pleasure and closed her eyes wanting to feel as much as possible; Emily touching her like this was just the best sensation.

"As if I can be myself…" Emily continued as she finally returned to Paige's lips and kissed her with all she had.

Paige wrapped her legs around Emily and kissed her back trying to enjoy the moment as much as possible; this was real, they were there loving each other and it felt so good…

"Emily" Paige whispered between the kissing. Emily took a moment to react, she was so lost in what she was doing that it was hard to concentrate in something else. "We're going to be late"

"It's only six o'clock" Emily mumbled, she didn't want to stop; she wished that they could stay all day in bed, just the two of them alone, naked… but she had to work and Paige had to get to class, but still they had a little bit of time "We have time" She whispered

Paige didn't protest, she wasn't going to stop Emily, she just couldn't and she didn't want to anyways; the way Emily made her feel, with her light touches and gentle kisses was just amazing, it was as if the woman could raise the temperature of her whole body with just a simple touch.

Emily smiled against Paige's skin when she heard her groan in pleasure, it was funny how quick she had convinced her to stop worrying about the time; they still had an hour and Emily had to make sure that they used it well.

She descended on Paige's body kissing and nipping the soft skin being gentle and sweet, she wanted Paige to enjoy; she wanted to hear her scream her name once again.

Paige's breath caught in her throat the moment she felt Emily's hot breath hovering over her now, wet center; Emily let out a small laugh and placed both hands on the sides of Paige's thighs steading her in place.

Then she kissed the flesh on the inner thighs carefully until finally she reached her final destination running her tongue teasingly over the girl's entrance.

Paige grabbed the headboard desperately with one hand and buried her other one in Emily's her pulling her closer as she felt her tongue working on her center. She closed her eyes at the pleasure and tried to control her labored breathing.

"Emmiiily…" She said in a low purr "Fuck"

* * *

It was nearly half past seven when Emily turned off the water of the shower; she wrapped her body with the towel and walked outside the bathroom, she felt relaxed and for some reason she didn't understand she felt alive; as if for the first time in months she was starting to live again… it felt weird and exciting at the same time.

Back in California she remembered how empty her life was; always hurting, she couldn't remember a day when she didn't cry, she always felt so depressed, and now suddenly she was starting to recover all her life and her happiness.

She opened her closet and eyed all her clothes trying to pick something for the day, she had separated her clothes, in the left part there were her daily clothes, the ones she used for school, all her suits, her skirts and buttoned shirts and blouses and in the right part her normal clothes, her jeans, leather jackets and her shirts. She picked up a simple white blouse and put on tight black pants with a leather jacket, not too formal but not to 'normal' she walked again to the bathroom to finish getting ready and when she grabbed the brush she stopped for a second and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Emily didn't do this on a regular basis; she wasn't the kind of person that has to check her image on the mirror constantly; in fact, she looked at her reflection as less as possible. This time she took a moment; it felt weird, she had put on some make up nothing too exaggerated and she had her half-wet hair falling around her shoulders.

She let out a half smile and felt her eyes watery… she reached out a hand and caressed her own cheeks briefly… this wasn't usual for her; she saw herself pretty.

For the first time in a long time she found herself beautiful… it had been a long time since she had thought that about herself, she didn't know why… or didn't remember why but she had stopped thinking that she was beautiful, and now she was seeing herself different.

It was nice, a nice change in her life; maybe Rosewood was doing her some good; maybe running away had made things better for the first time.

She finished finally and walked to the kitchen with a bright smile on her face; and that smile brightened even more when she saw the reason, the real reason why she was starting to change.

Paige was leant against the counter, Emily could only see her back but she could hear her sipping her coffee; she was looking through the window while she thought.

They had agreed that it would be better if they showered separately; they both knew that it was possible that they started something when they found themselves naked again that they couldn't stop so it was better like this.

Paige moved finally and walked to the silk to place the empty cup there; she had finished the action when she felt soft arms wrapping around her waist from behind softly, and then she felt a pair of lips pressed against her neck.

"I thought you weren't going to leave the water" She whispered as she smiled. Emily hummed against her neck and smiled back

"The hot water was so nice" She mumbled, she still held Paige tightly, they reminded silent for a moment just feeling each other once again. Emily ran her hands along Paige's torso, now not caring what she touched; after what they did last night there were no restrictions anymore, she could touch freely if she wanted to, and by the way Paige was reacting to the touch, she was enjoying it too. But before she could reach Paige's breasts, the girl stopped her placing both hands atop Emily's.

Paige turned around quickly offering a smile and then looked at Emily in the eyes; Emily smiled a bit embarrassed.

"I thought we were going to keep our hands to ourselves for the day" Paige said. Emily let out a laugh

"I know" She said playing with the hem of Paige's shirt.

"Then? What happened?" Paige asked teasingly

"You're kind of hard to resist" Emily confessed in a whisper

"I can say the same thing about you" Paige admitted, her voice didn't came out as teasingly as before, it came out rather shy and a bit shaky, as if she still was embarrassed.

Emily cupped her cheek carefully and offered a smile trying to be assuring; she had to let Paige know that everything was okay, and that she was completely safe being just herself around Emily.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Emily asked one more time. She had asked that same question several times during their lovemaking last night and a few more times that morning when they first woke up; she wanted to be hundred percent sure that Paige was really okay and that she hadn't pressured her into what happened.

"I'm fine" Paige said nodding

"Sure?"

"Emily…"

"No" Emily mumbled "You know why I ask you right?"

Paige looked down and gulped, she was aware of why Emily was asking; she knew that she had opened herself to the woman and had let her see a part of her that no other person had seen before, not only the sex… Emily had seen her soul, her bare-self, and had known her deepest fears referring to intimate issues, and it was a bit scary to say least.

"I think so" Paige said still looking down. Emily placed her hand in the girl's chin making her look up and then made her look at her in the eyes

"Hey" She said "Remember what I said about not looking away?" She asked. Paige nodded

"I was being serious Paige, I don't want you to feel ashamed around me, and you have no reason, because I am not going to judge you"

"I know… but-" Emily placed her index finger on Paige's mouth silencing her.

"What happened last night is not going to change anything" Emily said "You're still you and I am still me, we are still together, just now we are… together in a different way too. This is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I wouldn't change a thing about last night do you understand me?"

Paige looked at her, she felt out of words and completely disarmed, Emily wasn't running away or judging her by what she did, she was there with her trying to calm her and trying to talk to her.

"I do" Paige said finally smiling "And it was perfect for me too"

Emily smiled and kissed her, Paige was taken by surprise at first but then she just wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and returned the kiss with force. She couldn't believe how understanding Emily was being with her, and how sweet the woman was acting towards her, it was as if all the scars Shana left on her by her judgements and words were being healed by Emily.

"What are we going to do now?" Paige asked when they finally pulled apart. Emily moved to one of the cupboards and prepared herself some coffee as she thought about an answer.

"What do you mean?" She asked finally, Paige shrugged her shoulders and tried to explain without blushing

"You know… in class today, after what we did…"

"We have to keep our distance, as we have been doing the past month" Emily said simply

"So you think it's going to be easy to keep our distance?" Paige asked. Emily let out a smile and nodded

"We have to, I know that now it's going to be harder" Emily said, she approached Paige and placed her hands on the girl's waist pulling her closer "I can only think about the next time I am going to touch you" She whispered "But we have to be strong and keep distance"

"You're going to kill me in class woman" Paige said jokingly

"Really?" Emily said in a teasing tone

"Those pants… are too tight" Paige pointed out "I don't know if I am going to be able to concentrate"

Emily laughed at her words and kissed her cheek, the truth was that every passing day it became more difficult to keep their relationship as a secret. They weren't a normal couple, they couldn't be; and it was painful to see all those cute and happy couples walking around hand in hand, kissing in public and being close together and knowing that they had to keep their distance all the time because of the fear of being caught.

"Well, you might have trouble concentrating, but remember that you can get rid of my pants when we come back here to my place" Emily said suggestively as she smiled. Paige breathed out a laugh and nodded

"I'll be waiting for it" She said

"But right now" Emily said pulling apart and fixing her jacket "We go back to the real world in which I am Mss. Fields and you're my student"

"Sucks" Paige mumbled "And I guess I should go now, it will be better for us if we arrive to school with a little time difference" She suggested after thinking about it

"Yeah" Emily said "But for the moment is all we have"

Paige frowned at the words and made silence as she thought; Emily eyed her carefully, she noticed the slight change in Paige's attitude.

"What?" She asked

"You said… for the moment" Paige breathed out. Emily looked at her thinking for a second and then nodded

"Yeah, I did" She said

"Does that mean that you want to be with me in the future?" Paige asked trying to contain the smile that was forming on her face

"What kind of question is that?" Emily asked

"Well… all we've lived since you came back, and last night… you want to be with me?" Paige asked again. Emily smiled and moved to cup her cheek

"Paige, since the moment I put my feet here in Rosewood and saw you for the first time again I knew that I wanted you" She confessed a bit embarrassed

"Really?" Paige asked confused, Emily nodded

"Yes; I tried to deny it but obviously it didn't work"

"I feel the same way" Paige admitted blushing

"I know, and that's why I think that we can have a future together, a real future, in which we can go outside hand in hand and being a real couple in front of everyone… I want us to be able to walk around and kiss in public, go and have dinner at a restaurant or go to the beach…"

Paige allowed her brain for a moment to think in what Emily was suggesting; it sounded tempting, and a smile appeared brightly on her face as she imagined them being a real couple in front of everyone and not only in Emily's apartment.

"I would love that" She said, Emily mimicked her smile and nodded

She approached Paige slowly and they both smiled at each other silently, Emily grabbed the hem of Paige's shirt pulling her closer and then placed both hands on the girl's waist, Paige ran her hands up Emily's arms and then buried her face on the crook of her neck as she wrapped her arms around her.

They hugged in silence for a few minutes. After what had happened with them they just needed a moment of connection, everything had changed now, they had taken a huge step in their relationship, things between them were escalating really quickly and now they just needed to get used to it.

Paige pulled apart first and placed a soft kiss on Emily's lips gently, Emily smiled at the action; she liked when Paige was the one taking the first step. She only stood still and opened her mouth allowing Paige's tongue to brush hers gently but with force.

"We really need to go" She managed to say between kisses. This was not the best idea for them, start kissing now could lead them to end up involved in other activities and now they didn't need that.

But Paige seemed to be lost by that moment, Emily smiled when she felt the girl trying to push her probably to the nearest surface she could find, their breathing was starting to get labored and their kisses were fastening within the seconds.

"I hate school right now" Paige mumbled

"I know, but you can't skip classes and I can't skip work" Emily said, they shared a few more kisses until finally they managed to pull apart.

Emily cupped Paige's cheek lovingly and placed a kiss there before they started walking to the door.

"Can I see you tonight?" Emily asked, Paige exhaled and let out a sad laugh. Now that they were starting a new day she was going to leave the perfect bubble they had been living in for the past night, and it was time to come back to real world. A world where she had argued really badly with her mother, and now she didn't know how things were for them now.

"I don't know" She said sincerely "I don't really know if my parents are going to be home or not… I guess I'll go home after school and wait for them"

Emily nodded in understanding. She knew that Paige had gone to her place because she was upset with her mother, she didn't dare to ask when Paige told her that she didn't want to talk about what had happened, but she understood that Paige would need some time to go and fix whatever it was that had happened.

"I guess we'll have to wait a little bit" She joked. Paige breathed out a smile

"I'll call you" She promised "And if I can I'll be making a quick visit"

"It's not necessary Paige, if you need to be with your parents then don't worry, I can wait" Emily said.

Paige smiled; Emily was always patient and understanding with her. Before finally leaving the apartment, they shared a quick kiss, this time they didn't deepen it or do this to heat things up, it was just a soft brush of their lips and then they smiled to each other.

The first one to leave was Paige; she finally managed to exit the apartment and rushed down stairs ready to start the new day.

* * *

Emily closed the door and once she was once again alone in her apartment she let out a sigh and then smiled, she leaned her back against the door and placed a hand atop her now racing heart. She could feel it hammering against her chest with force, and she could feel as if a shot of adrenaline had been injected right through her veins.

She felt amazing, and not just because of the sex, it had been a long time since she had been intimate with someone, but it wasn't just that; it was the fact that she had experienced something powerful and really amazing being connected to Paige like the way they did last night.

She walked around the house picking up her stuff, she grabbed her bag and put the papers she had corrected and some tests inside and then grabbed an apple from the counter. Her mind was still racing with memories; last night had been more than perfect, that was for sure, it had been perfect in more ways than one; every word and every touch had been just what they both needed.

But at the same time she couldn't avoid but thinking about what that would mean for them, Paige had made a point saying that one of her fears was the connection they once had; and it was true, Emily had lots of memories with Paige before running away to California, they were really close, almost like sisters, Emily remembered well Paige as a child, those big brown eyes so innocent and how sweet she was.

Now she was a beautiful woman, and Emily had slept with her. It felt weird now that she thought about it more calmed, but at the same time Emily felt happy.

This was the first time that she felt completely safe with someone.

She checked her desk one more time trying to make sure that she didn't forget anything important and then went back to her room to grab her phone.

It was on her night stand next to the bed, Emily grabbed it and saw that she had a few missed calls, she had put it in silence during the night to be able to give her full attention to Paige; she didn't want anyone to disturb them, and after that she was just too tired to turn on the volume.

She rushed to the door and on the way she unlocked the screen to see who had called… when she read the name on the screen her face turned pale and suddenly all her happiness and all the good things she was feeling that day disappeared.

* * *

The bell rang at eight o'clock; all the students that were already waiting outside finally entered the school's building and headed to their classes. Paige arrived luckily just a minute later, she stepped inside the large corridor and let out a breath of relieve when she saw that fortunately she wasn't too late.

Paige was sweaty, her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was fast and labored, she had run all the way from her house.

After leaving Emily's apartment she had thought that she might need to change her clothes, and she needed to grab her bag. So she rushed home and arrived there in a record time; at first she feared that her parents could be there and maybe she would need to give some explanations but when she entered the house using the emergency key that was under one of the rocks of the garden she realized that her parents were gone.

She walked to her room quickly and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, she didn't want to spend much time changing, then she grabbed her bag, brushed her hair and her teeth and ran to the kitchen to make something for lunch.

There she found that on the side of the counter there was a plate, the plate of food she left there last night, right before she stormed out of the house. Paige sighed heavily when she remembered what happened and swallowed, she was tired of all the arguing and to be upset all the time. Right next to the plate there was a small note:

 _Your mother and I went to Scranton to the Medicine Seminar, we'll be back in two days_ – Love you, dad

Paige read it a few times and then finally remembered that Nick actually had told her about that stupid seminar a few days ago, only Paige had been too busy to remember.

Apparently her parents were invited to the seminar to help give the conferences, it wasn't something new actually, Paige had been alone other times because of the same reason so she didn't gave it too much importance, in the end she preferred it to be that way. She didn't really want to see Claire.

After reading the note she became aware of the time and had to run all the way to school in order to get there in time.

She sighed in relief and walked to her locker to pick up her math book, she was feeling positive that day, she remembered what had happened a few hours ago and let out a big smile, maybe she had been upset last night but now she felt happy.

"Did you run a marathon or something?" Aria's voice sounded behind her, Paige turned around startled.

"What?"

"I saw you running, and you look…" Aria eyed her from head to toe "Different"

"Different how?" Paige asked

"I don't know just different"

"Whatever" Paige turned around again and closed the door of the locker

"How did the birthday day went?" Aria asked changing the subject, Paige hadn't called her after her mom's birthday as she promised and she had been a bit worried that something bad had happened.

Paige let out a deep sigh and looked down a bit frustrated confirming Aria's theory. The girl knew the problems in the McCullers family too well, and she felt really bad for her friend

"That bad huh?" She asked trying to be emphatic, Paige nodded

"I don't really know why my dad keeps trying to arrange family days… it always end up the same way"

"Maybe he's trying to fix things" Aria said

"My mom has always been like that" Paige said with hurt "She's not going to change just because we celebrate her birthday in another place"

They walked to their first class in silence, Aria felt badly for Paige, but somehow Paige that morning seemed to be somewhere else, she seemed upset but at the same time had a different look.

The entered the classroom followed by the rest of the students and sat on their seats waiting for the teacher to come in.

"So I guess the day ended up really bad" Aria mumbled trying to push the conversation, Paige rubbed her temples and nodded

"Worst" She mumbled "Claire didn't have enough with just arguing at the restaurant, she had to bring the college issue at dinner"

"I still have no idea why your mother is so keen in pushing you to study medicine" Aria said "You're such a talented photographer"

"I told her so" Paige said. Aria's jaw almost dropped to the floor and her eyes went wide open as she looked at Paige

"You can't be serious" She said, Paige nodded "Did you really do something like that?"

"I kind of yelled at her… and then I ran out of the house" Paige said

"Wow… Paige McCullers is finally a grown up" Aria joked. Paige slapped her shoulder softly and smiled

"I don't know what happened to me… I guess I was just tired, and so angry that the only thing I could think to do was run away"

"No one can blame you, Claire is always too hard on you that I really can't understand why you didn't do that sooner" Aria commented

"Yeah…"

"Have you talked to Pam or your brother about this?" Aria asked in concern. She knew how little Paige liked to talk about her problems, she always tried to swallow things up and forget rather than talk to her friends.

"Actually" Paige started "I kind of went to see Emily last night" She said lowering her voice until it was just a soft whisper. Aria's eyes widened once again and she smiled devilishly at her

"Oh my God" Aria mumbled as she kept looking at Paige "You went to her house at night?" She asked

"Yes, I didn't really know where else to go" Paige confessed

"What happened?" Aria asked Paige looked down in embarrassment; she didn't want to talk about last night, or at least not at school. She felt a bit weird admitting that she had had sex with her teacher last night.

"Well… we" Paige started "I… she was there" She rumbled "And I was there too, and I was soaked from running under the rain and then I went to take a bath and she helped me and..."

"You showered together?" Aria asked trying to contain herself from yelling

"Yes" Paige said simply

"Paige I'm so happy for you!" Aria beamed

"Thanks?" Paige mumbled

"It was about time that you finally crossed the line with someone else" Aria said happily "Because you did it right? You slept together after the shower didn't you?"

Paige's cheeks were even more blushed than before, she felt her ears redden and she saw Aria's smile getting wider

"Yes" She admitted. Aria let out a loud guffaw and clapped her hands softly; Paige looked around embarrassed noticing that some of her classmates had turned to see what was happening with them.

"I can't believe this" Aria said excited "Do you know what this means? This means that you're finally over Shana"

"Yeah, but it won't last long if you out us to the school by not being able of lowering your damn voice" Paige said

"Sorry… I was just happy for you"

"Thank you, but we shouldn't be talking about that here" Paige suggested

"Fine, but you have to tell me all the details" Aria begged

"Aria, what happened between us is kind of private" Paige said seriously

"Oh, come on, not every day a friend of mine has sex with a teacher, I want to know if our dear Mss. Fields is good in bed or not" Aria whispered

Thanks to the heavens and for Paige's sake Mr. Fitz finally arrived to the class asking for silence, Aria turned her attention to the blackboard a bit frustrated and Paige sighed in relieve, she didn't know if she could stand an interrogatory from her friend right now. She was still trying to process everything that happened last night, and she still didn't know if she could talk about it, at least not with Aria.

The only one that she wanted to talk that day was Emily, she tried to concentrate in the class but images of the woman crossed her mind making her distracted all morning.

* * *

Emily was sat on the couch at the teacher's room, a cup of hot coffee between her hands and her gaze lost in some point of the floor. She had been there for a while now, she arrived to school just in time for her first class, she had an exam with first year's class and then she had a free hour.

The room was empty, a couple of teachers were there before chatting quietly but went once the bell rang. Emily was grateful for the silence, she wasn't in the mood to be with someone now; she didn't feel good. It was as if someone just had kicked her in the stomach and that had brought her back to real world.

The door opened abruptly startling her, Emily almost let the coffee fall to the floor but she managed to steady the cup and then looked to the door. Ezra was stepping into the room carrying a bunch of papers in his hands and then he spotted Emily.

"Hey" He said happy to see his friend "I didn't know you were here"

"Hi" Emily mumbled, her attention quickly returned to the same spot she had been eyeing so carefully before.

"It's crazy how the rhythm of the year is speeding up" Ezra said, he placed the papers on the big table and rubbed his neck "The morning just started and I already have to correct the essays of three classes"

"It's crazy" Emily repeated like a robot, her mind was completely somewhere else. Ezra kept rambling about his busy morning and how he hated to correct papers, then he served himself a cup of coffee and sat next to Emily exhaling a heavy sigh of relieve

"Fortunately, I only have one more class for the day and then I'll be free" He said proudly. This time Emily didn't answer, she was completely zoned out. Ezra observed her quietly.

She seemed to be submerged in her own thoughts, it was as if she was floating in other universe for the way she was looking at the floor and holding the now cold coffee between her hands.

"Emily?" He asked a bit worried now that he realized that his friend seemed to be distracted

"Uh?" Emily finally looked at him and tried to sound focused

"Is everything okay?" Ezra asked. Emily sighed deeply, she was tempted to say yes, it was so easy to tell a small lie to avoid the issue, but the fact was that from all the people in Rosewood Ezra Fitz was the only person that knew the truth about her. She couldn't exactly lie to him because he could formulate the right questions.

"I got a call this morning" Emily said, she had a lump in her throat as she talked, she didn't even know if she was doing the right thing by getting so scared, she didn't even know if it was a bad thing.

"A call" Ezra mumbled "Who called?"

"Hanna"

The name slipped through Emily's lips and both of them reminded silent for a second.

"Hanna Marin?" Ezra asked to be completely sure

"Yes"

"What did she want?" He asked

"I don't know, I couldn't talk to her"

"Then why are you so worried?"

"She never calls me" Emily said with a shaky voice "That was our deal, I can call her to let her know that I'm okay but she never calls me unless…"

"Unless what?" Ezra asked

"Unless it's to talk about her" Emily said simply.

Ezra knew well who Emily was talking about, he didn't know the full story but he knew the important part, in the end, it was Ezra the one who helped Emily to run away from California.

"You think she knows where you are?" Ezra asked, his voice was now completely serious, and his expression was worried. Emily shrugged her shoulders.

"The only person who knew where I was going apart from you and me was Hanna" Emily said "I never told anyone else"

"Maybe she just wanted to check if you were okay" Ezra said soothingly

"Why if she knows?" Emily asked; a tear streamed down her cheek, Ezra took her hand between his.

"I don't think that she will be so stupid to come here to look for you" He said

"You don't know her" Emily said

"No, but I know Hanna, and I know that she would do anything to protect you, she won't let that happen" He said

Emily looked into his eyes, she really wanted to believe that, she needed to, he and Hanna were the only people she could fully trust and she needed to believe that everything was going to be okay.

"I hope so" Emily mumbled.

Ezra smiled sadly, ever since he started a friendship with Emily he know that the woman was someone really special, and after a few years, when he found out what was happening to her he knew that he had to do everything in his hand to help Emily.

"Call her back" He suggested "You can ask her what happens and that way you'll be able to relax"

"And what if she called me to tell me bad news?" Emily asked with hurt in her voice.

Ezra sighed and looked down probably trying to figure out what to say next, if things were bad for his friend they'll needed to find a solution.

"Then we'll have to deal with it, together" He said.

Emily allowed herself to relax a bit, she didn't know if Ezra or Hanna will be able to help her if something bad happened in the future, but his voice was calmed and steady and she didn't need to panic once again.

The panic attacks had been tormenting her ever since she left California and even before, she hated them, and she had to stay calm if she wanted to control them.

The door opened once again, both, Ezra and Emily, turned around startled. Spencer entered the room sipping her coffee and walking with heavy feet, almost as if she was a zombie. Emily quickly wiped the trails of her tears and sniffed trying to collect herself. No one could see her like this.

"You are the two people I was looking for" Spencer announced once she spotted them on the couch.

"Rough day?" Ezra asked eyeing her carefully; Spencer walked to them and killed him with a glare "Don't look at me like that, you look like crap"

"Thanks Ezra, I love you too" Spencer said angrily

"What did you want?" Emily asked curious.

Spencer looked at her, and then her gaze moved to Ezra. They were silent, and serious, as if something was going on there.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer asked worried, she sat at the other end of the couch waiting for the answer.

"Yeah" Ezra said quickly "We were just complaining about our lack of sleep last night"

"I understand that" Spencer joked "I had a bunch of exams to correct and a bunch more to prepare for next week"

"So…" Ezra said again "Why were you looking for us?"

Spencer remembered that she had checked the teacher's room for a reason before, and then a smile formed in her face

"I need a big favor" She said

"I'm scared" Ezra said

"What kind of favor?" Emily asked ignoring Ezra.

"Well, you two already know that I have a boyfriend right?" Spencer asked happily

"Surprisingly yes" Ezra teased. Spencer slapped him on the shoulder

"The thing is" Spencer continued ignoring Ezra and addressing directly to Emily "That we are trying to make this whole… dating thing official, and we wanted to meet each other's families and friends"

"That's sweet Spence" Emily said smiling "I'm really happy for you"

"And why did you need us?" Ezra asked

"You are my friends" Spencer said simply "And I want you to meet him"

"No way" Ezra said standing up

"Ezra, this is important to me" Spencer said

"You can't just come here and ask us to meet your boyfriend… how do I know that he's not messing you around or something?" He said

"She actually can" Emily mumbled

"Yeah, and I am not looking for your approval" Spencer pouted "I just want you to meet him and get to get along with him"

"I'm up for it" Emily said

"Thanks" Spencer breathed out "And I hope you are too" She added looking at Ezra "Because I had to make a huge effort to convince him and I made a reservation in a restaurant for today and…"

"Wait… you did what?" Ezra asked

"We are going to have dinner together" Spencer said

"Spence, I don't think you know how this works…"

"How works what?" Emily asked to him a bit curious

"When you date someone, your best friend is not going to like that person" Ezra said annoyed

"I like Toby" Emily said

"Thanks Emily" Spencer mumbled still looking at Ezra

"It's just a dinner Ezra" Emily said "You can go with us and if you don't like him after today you won't have to see him anymore"

"Exactly" Spencer said "I just want him to meet my friends" She looked down for a moment a bit embarrassed "Because you are the only friends I have besides my sister"

Emily felt a bit bad for her, Spencer was awkward, but she was a nice person not very social but she was funny when she wanted to, it was unfair that she had only three friends.

"Fine" Ezra said "I'll go"

"Really?" Spencer said in a yell

Emily and Ezra said a quick "Yes" at the same time and Spencer collapsed her body against theirs in a hug.

"I can't wait for it" She said

"Me neither" Ezra said a bit unsure. Emily just looked at his annoyed face and laughed.

* * *

When the bell rang a few minutes later, Emily left the teacher's room with a big smile in her face, she was happy for Spencer and luckily that happiness had replaced her disappointment from that morning.

She walked down the long hallway quietly observing the students, the corridor was crowded now that everyone had to go to another class; there were a few people checking their lockers and others that just were resting a bit talking before the next class started.

Emily was about to arrive to the classroom when another teacher stopped her, it was the PE teacher, he was a nice guy that always tried to make some small talk with her, she knew that he had he liked her since he had hit on her a few times but her heart belonged to someone else so he had nothing to do.

In the corner of her eye, while she still talked with him, appeared a figure; Emily's eyes immediately went to meet hers. Paige was standing a few meters from her, next to the small fountain that was in the middle of the hallway, she smiled at Emily softly, and Emily couldn't help to feel the tingles through her body as she saw that sweet smile.

The only thing she wanted in that moment was to get lost in that smile, to run to Paige and push her against the wall and kiss her hard and long until she had no force. But the incessant movement of people around reminded her that they weren't alone.

"What do you think?" The man asked suddenly. Emily looked at him completely lost and smiled embarrassed

"Uh… what?" She asked

"I was asking if we could hang out outside the school someday" He asked again with a shaky voice "I mean just as friends"

"I'm sorry Mr. Todd" Emily said

"Adam" He corrected "Just call me Adam"

"I'm sorry Adam, but I don't really think that's a good idea"

Emily could feel Paige's gaze fixed on her, she was looking directly to the man but she could feel Paige still standing on the same spot as before looking at her, probably she had noticed what was happening.

"Okay…" He said completely embarrassed "I'll see you around" He said quickly before walking away as fast as he could. Emily looked in his direction feeling a bit sorry for him and then her gaze met Paige's once again.

The girl looked serious now, almost as if she was a bit annoyed, Emily felt the need to go and talk to her but she couldn't, besides just a second later her friend Aria walked next to her and Paige's attention went to her and that annoying friend, Sydney, which was always following them, around.

Emily finally ignored them and walked into the classroom to start the class, her students were already sat and she only had to give them the exams and sit quietly on her desk.

"You should be more subtle while looking" Aria suggested as they walked down the hallway. Paige looked at her and blushed

"I don't know what you're talking about" She said

"You were killing Mr. Todd with your glare" Aria said "You should relax a bit; they're both teachers it's normal for them to talk"

"I know" Paige said "I wasn't killing anyone"

"Aha" Aria teased "Paige, it's totally normal to be jealous, I would be too, but remember that you have to be careful"

Paige looked down thinking about it; she hated to feel like that.

"Everyone tries to hit on her" She confessed a bit annoyed, Aria let out a laugh and then nodded

"Well, she's hot as hell, and her being a teacher makes her more desirable"

"I know, but I don't really like to see the whole school drooling behind my…" Paige stopped talking for a moment and then lowered her voice until it was a barely audible whisper "Girlfriend"

"You said the magic word" Aria said happily "I'm so proud"

"Proud for what?" Sydney's voice startled them both, the girl had been following them around since the start of the classes, after they had stopped to drink some water at the fountain Sydney had gone to talk with some of the girls on the swim team and then she seemed to have found them again. Aria rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"For my grades" Aria said "I got a B in English"

"Wow, congratulations" Sydney said smiling "How about you Paige?"

"Uh… I got a B as well" Paige said a bit uncomfortable.

"That is so cool, we're getting through this year very well" Sydney said

Aria didn't answer, she had been all day trying to talk to Paige, and now that they finally found a moment Sydney had to appear and ruin the conversation.

* * *

Paige tried to keep it cool, she managed to hide her previous jealousy until they arrived to class and then she and Aria sat at the end of the class trying to avoid Sydney and waited for the teacher to start. Aria smiled brightly when she saw Paige grabbing her phone and write down something, she kind of knew who could possibly her friend be texting.

Paige felt a bit bad for being jealous before but she still had the urge to talk to Emily and she hoped that she wasn't too busy to answer.

-Those pants are really too tight- She wrote, she pressed the sent button and smiled, she hoped that the text could make Emily blush.

And just as she had thought, Emily blushed intensely when she read the text; she had been sitting by her desk for the past thirty minutes, the students were concentrated on their exam so Emily had been there reading a book while she waited.

-Distracted much? - Emily wrote back smiling devilishly, she knew that Paige was talking seriously when she talked about her outfit that morning

-Yeah, you're a very distracting person Mss. Fields-

Emily read the text a few times and smiled, she wished that she could have Paige between her arms right now and be able to hold her closer and kiss her…

-Thanks and just so you know you are too, I couldn't stop thinking about you all morning- she answered. Paige's reply was almost immediate

-And I have seen that I am not the only one finding you distracting-

Emily let out a smile, and then understood. She had noted that Paige had looked at her weirdly before, when they were at the hallway, only she just didn't understood what that expression meant.

-Is that so? - She wrote, she was concerned about Paige but at the same time she found the situation funny

-What? - Paige asked.

-Are you jealous? –

Paige's reaction was to blush, she didn't want to admit it, she didn't like the idea, it was the first time that she was jealous and she didn't like it. Emily in the other hand was enjoying that.

-No- Paige wrote simply

-Okay, but just so you know, I'm not interested in Mr. Todd-

-But he's clearly interested in you, as well as the rest of the school-

Emily bit back a laugh and looked at her screen not really believing what she was reading, Paige was really unsecure, and it was normal for her to feel like this, but Emily wished that she could believe her.

-I don't care about the rest of the school Paige, I am only interested in you- Emily said trying to be as sincere as possible, this conversation would be better in person but for the moment she had to convince Paige over texts.

-I feel stupid- Paige confessed after a minute. Emily smiled, she understood.

-You know, it's normal to feel like this sometimes, you don't have to worry-

Paige let out a soft smile, she loved how understanding Emily was with her always, she really appreciated that, and actually she felt a lot better now.

-Do you think we could meet later after school? That way I could properly say sorry to you-

Emily read the text a couple of times, the idea of Paige saying 'sorry properly' was really tempting, and after what they shared last night she couldn't wait to repeat that, unfortunately she remembered that she had to have dinner with her friends.

-I have dinner with Spencer-

-Sucks- Paige replied, now that she knew that she was going to be alone for the next days she had been waiting to go and see Emily, but it didn't seem to be possible.

-I know, I promise I'll make up to you- Emily answered, she couldn't exactly cancel on Spencer even if she really wanted to go and see Paige.

-I can't wait for it-

Emily stared at the text Paige just sent to her and smiled, but as she was enjoying the moment, her phone started vibrating between her hands and the name of Hanna accompanied by a small picture of her popped out on the screen.

Just as in the morning, Hanna was calling her, and Emily's mind went wild trying to find out why her friend was calling her.

It was driving her crazy, every time she got to enjoy a moment of pure happiness something had to ruin it miserably. The sound of the voice of one of the boys dragged Emily out of her thoughts.

She looked at him and he asked her help with a question. Emily decided to focus on her job rather than let the situation eat her up slowly and painfully. She walked to the boy and tried to concentrate and to be surer that she was able to do such thing she turned off her phone.

* * *

Lunch time was a real relieve for Paige, she finally left her science class after finishing a very complex text which really let her very tired mentally, Ms. Hastings was definitely a really hard teacher, but Paige was sure that she had done pretty well.

She was the fourth one to finish the exam and exited the class in silence and started to walk to the backyard where she was supposed to meet Aria later to have lunch together, even if the days were starting to be really cold that day the sun was bright on top of the sky so they wanted to enjoy it.

Paige tucked her hands on the pockets of her jeans as she walked to the back door and sighed deeply, she grabbed her phone quickly and checked the screen a few times before putting it back on her pocket.

Emily hadn't talked to her again. Maybe she was busy with the classes but Paige knew that she had a break a while ago, she should have answered…

"Paige" Sydney joined her once again, Paige exhaled deeply and did her best to offer a sincere smile, she liked the girl, she was funny and a good friend, but Paige didn't really like to have her at her heels all day.

"Sydney, hey" She said finally, being rude to people was never her thing so she opted to be polite.

"How did your test go?" The girl asked "I think I am going to need to sleep for ages now, it was destructive" Paige let out a laugh and nodded

"Yeah, I know… I spent three weeks studying and when I had the paper in front of me I forgot every single thing" Paige confessed

"You're going to do good" Sydney said smiling brightly as she eyed Paige "You're so smart, I don't really understand how you can manage to have one of the best grades of our class and still be such good swimmer and captain"

"I guess I put a lot of effort on it" Paige said

"I wish I could be like you" Sydney breathed out. Paige frowned and looked at her curiously.

"Why do you say that?" She asked. She found it a bit weird to ask her that, the truth was that she never got really interested in to knowing the personal details of her classmates or her teammates, but know that she thought about it, she didn't know a single thing about Sydney apart that she was on the swim team.

"I am not as good swimmer as you… I have to face it, I hardly doubt that any scout is going to be offering me a full scholarship to a big college and other than that, my grades are really decadent, I can't even concentrate in so many exams and all the homework"

"I'm sure you'll be finding a way to go to the college you want" Paige said "And grades are just numbers, the thing is to find a system in which you can manage to have time to do everything without stressing too much"

"You talk as if it was so easy" Sydney said "I wish I could be like you" She repeated.

Paige looked down and a sudden feeling of pain and disappointment crossed her chest.

"I doubt it" She said

"Why?" Sydney asked curious

"My life isn't as easy as it seems from your perspective" Paige confessed. Sydney smiled sadly, she never got to have such a deep conversation with Paige, and as much as she loved it, it didn't last too long.

Aria walked to their direction and exhaled heavily as she faced Paige completely ignoring Sydney (pretty much as she always did)

"I swear I could hear my brain boil inside my skull during the exam" She said as she rubbed her temples "I hate Ms. Hastings" She turned her head and saw Sydney "Hey Syd" She said

"Hi" Sydney said shyly, she could feel Aria's ignorance towards her and suddenly she felt bad.

"I'm pretty sure you're going to pass the exam" Paige said "We studied together"

"You studied" Aria said "I just read the pages and tried to understand everything"

"It'll be okay, you'll see" Paige soothed.

Aria shrugged her shoulders and sighed in resignation, then she wrapped both arms around Paige's bicep and nudged her lightly to start walking.

"See you around Sydney" She said without looking behind.

"Bye" The girl said sadly when she saw the girls walking away. Paige turned around discretely and waved her hand to Sydney softly, the act made the girl smile.

She was aware that Aria did not like Sydney; she said that she was really irritating, but the truth was that Paige found her really interesting sometimes so she felt bad when Aria was rude to her.

Aria was still rambling about her exam and how frustrated she felt when something bumped into them hard.

The first one to react was Aria, as always the petite girl turned around ready to fight whoever that had dared to crush into them but as soon as she identified the person she smiled brightly and elbowed Paige.

Emily was on her knees right in front of the two girls picking up the books she just dropped when she accidentally bumped on Paige and her friend. She had been really engrossed reading a paper so she didn't saw them coming.

"Ms. Fields" Aria said

"Hey girls" Emily said once she finished grabbing the books, she stood up and looked at the girls trying not to focus too much on Paige "I'm really sorry for this"

"No problem" Paige mumbled, she was blushed. She hadn't had the chance to see Emily since that morning, and now that she was in front of her all she wanted to do was kiss her.

"I have to get going" Emily quickly said before start walking again. She walked pass the two girls and disappeared down the hallways, obviously she glanced at Paige before doing that.

"Oh yeah, I could feel the love between you two" Aria mumbled as she smiled brightly

"What are you talking about?" Paige asked

"Come on, I could see how you looked at her" The girl said "And she was looking at you the same way… you should go find a room or something"

"Shut up" Paige whispered, she looked down and reminded silent for a few seconds, as they walked and finally reached the courtyard.

"I guess it must be difficult" Aria kept on with the issue, they sat in one of the concrete benches.

"What?" Paige asked

"You know, to not be able to touch in public and that stuff… I don't know if I could do something like that, hide a relationship must be complicated"

"It is" Paige said sadly, she had to admit that even if she tried to be positive about her relationship with Emily, sometimes it was hard. "But it's totally worth it" She added

"I bet" Aria said smiling mischievously "And by the way you still own me the details"

"There's no way I am going to tell you something so private" Paige argued crossing her arms over her chest

"I'm your best friend; you have to tell me, besides you promised me"

"I didn't do such thing" Paige said

"Oh, you did, come on spill"

* * *

When Emily heard the bell ringing, she was glad to be already in class sat at the desk, it was nice not having to run around the corridors because she was late. Usually she ate lunch at the cafeteria with Spencer and then she walked to class but today she decided to stay in and have lunch alone.

She really needed time to think and put her thoughts in order since she had been all day concentrated in her classes. Talking to Paige over text that morning had helped her relax for a while but after getting Hanna's call she hadn't been able to concentrate anymore.

Her mind was clouded, she couldn't really think clearly anymore and that feeling was consuming her, she knew that she needed to call back to make sure that everything was okay but she was scared beyond words that her friend had bad news for her.

She kept on thinking while she watched the students arrive to the class and take their sits, class with senior year was always pleasant since everyone was more calmed that the younger ones even if sometimes there were exceptions but she liked that class; the only problem was that today she couldn't just focus on her job.

The only moment she directed her full attention to the class was when she saw Paige stepping through the door and walking to her table; the girl sat there in silence and offered a shy discrete smile to her, it was an innocent gesture, but Emily didn't return it.

That was when Paige knew that something was happening.

For the next hour, Paige saw how Emily literally struggled to give the lesson; she lost the focus a few times, the woman seemed to be in other planet rather than in a class. And she even had to read from the book instead of giving the lesson on her own as she always did because she couldn't focus on what she was doing.

Paige knew that something was happening; maybe the rest of her classmates just thought that Ms. Fields had a bad day or something, but she knew that something was wrong with Emily. It was not normal for her to act like this in a class and definitely it was not normal for her to completely ignore Paige. As much as they tried to hide her relationship, they always managed to look at each other and smile when no one was watching them. Now Emily just avoided looking into Paige's direction as she tried to finish the lesson.

Emily knew that she was probably not acting well, she was letting her emotions get through her, but she didn't really know how to cope with it. She felt overwhelmed and the feeling she had inside was painful; she couldn't let that pop out in the middle of her class and she definitely didn't want to affect Paige with that.

The best thing she could do now was ignore Paige and try to collect her thoughts.

The bell rang again an hour ago, and Emily breathed relieved and exhausted; she had been nervously watching the clock on the wall trying to count the minutes until the class will finish. The bell was like a savior, she walked to her desk as she heard the students walk out of the class. She was glad that this was her last one, now she could go home and change, maybe rest a little before meeting Spencer and Ezra.

She picked up her stuff carefully, her movements were slow and she exhaled deeply when she stared at her phone once again, fortunately Hanna hadn't call again.

"Hey"

Emily turned around at the sound of a familiar voice behind her. Paige stood still offering a warm smile as she waited for Emily to react.

"Paige…" Emily mumbled "What are you doing here?"

"I was in your class remember?" Paige joked as she took a step towards Emily.

For some reason, Emily took a step behind to avoid being so close to Paige which wasn't a good thing since she could see the hurt look in the girl's eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Paige asked in concern trying to ignore what just happened. Emily rubbed the back of her neck and nodded

"Yeah, everything's fine"

Paige frowned in confusion, there was no way everything was fine with Emily; she knew that something was wrong.

She took another step towards Emily this time trapping her between her body and the desk, she could feel Emily's body tensing and she crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

"If everything is fine then why are you avoiding me?" Paige asked. Emily sighed in frustration

"We're in school Paige, someone could see us"

"I locked the door" Paige said "No one's around now"

Emily checked the class quickly, Paige was right, the classroom was empty and the door was closed, she had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed when Paige closed it.

Even if she saw that Emily was upset, Paige decided to not drop the issue, she didn't want to see the woman like that so she took matters in her own hands.

Paige's hands reached Emily's waist timidly at first, she placed them on her waist softly gracing the skin over the clothes and then ran a single hand over Emily's stomach gently trying to just feel the girl and make her feel good.

Then she brought her lips to the corner of Emily's mouth and kissed her. Emily didn't react at first, she didn't know if she was in the mood to do this, but Paige's lips were soft and sweet against hers and the heat emanating from her body somehow calmed her.

Emily brought her hands to Paige's shoulders and after a brief moment, she responded to the kiss.

She brushed her lips steadily but still gently against Paige's; she had wanted to do that since the morning after the girl left her apartment. Paige moaned against her mouth as she allowed her body to speak for her.

Suddenly Emily's body was even closer to the desk and pressed against Paige's. The girl moved to cup her breasts softly through her clothes and then her hands returned to her hips, they couldn't really risk doing what they both were about to do in class.

But even if Emily was starting to give in to all the kissed and touches, her mind was still somewhere else. She managed to open her eyes for a second and looked at Paige who had pulled away trying to breathe, she leaned in once again after a moment and Emily kissed her but then she put a hand on her chest making her stop.

"What?" Paige asked. Emily looked at the girl's confused face and then to her swollen lips… she wished that she could just stop thinking and kiss the girl she loved so much and talk to her about everything but her brain stopped her.

"We can't do this here Paige" Emily said, she was referring to the position they were in right now.

Paige realized now how close Emily was to the desk and how worked up they both looked; she managed to smile but then saw that Emily wasn't smiling at all.

"We are not going to do anything" Paige said "I just wanted to kiss you…"

"I know, but it's not a good time"

"Emily no one's around anymore, classes are over for today and we were just kissing"

"Paige" Emily breathed out, she sounded a bit harsh and Paige noticed it, because she frowned in confusion and hurt "One of our rules was no contact at school"

"We've broken that fucking rule other times" Paige said

"Yeah well… we shouldn't do that" Emily argued.

"Listen, I just wanted to kiss you since I know we are not going to see each other until late tonight" Paige said, she made a pause and reached Emily's gaze. The woman didn't seem really happy about it "Because we are seeing each other tonight right?" She asked

"I have dinner with-"

"Spencer" Paige interrupted her "I know, but I guess you are not going to spend the night with her are you?" She joked. Emily looked at her with a serious look and Paige frowned again "Are you sure you're okay? Because you weren't acting like this this morning"

"Like this how?" Emily blurted out rudely. Paige opened her mouth trying to say something but failed at first, she understood that Emily might be mad or something but she didn't really know why she was acting this way towards her.

"Like if you were an asshole" Paige said mimicking that same rudeness Emily used against her a second ago.

With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out of the classroom closing the door with a loud thud. Emily stood in the same spot she had been for the past minutes without words; Paige had just insulted her.

They had known each other for years now, and Emily couldn't remember a time when Paige had insulted her, surely she had been mad at her but never like this. And it was all her fault.

She wiped the corners of her eyes where a few tears were titling dangerously and then turned around facing the desk. She had to end up with this stupid situation, she needed to stop being a coward and finally call Hanna.

As she took the decision she felt a sharp pain in her chest, she placed both hands there and tried to breathe calmed not wanting to have another panic attack.

She needed to collect herself and fix the damage she had done to her girlfriend and also figure out why the hell Hanna was calling her after all this time.

* * *

Paige entered the house with such force that the wall trembled when she slammed the door shut behind her. She threw her bag to the side of the hall and ran upstairs; usually she would have gone to the kitchen to eat something, then she would have changed into her swimsuit and went to the pool to do some extra laps to get ready for practice tomorrow. But she wasn't in the mood for that.

She stepped inside of her room and collapsed onto the bed throwing all the pillows away with anger, she was crying now, she had been holding back her tears all the way home but now that she was there she didn't need to do that anymore, she just wanted to cry and hit something.

But rather than using violence she just lied on her back looking at the ceiling and held a pillow tightly against her chest as she cried.

She couldn't believe that Emily could have been so cold with her; she never saw her like that, it seemed as if for a moment Emily treated her as if she was a total burden to her, as if she just wanted to get rid of her.

That wasn't the Emily she knew, but she definitely knew that she didn't like her like this. She spent a long while crying, she didn't want to do anything else, she was hurt and she needed time.

Within the minutes she finally drifted off to a peaceful sleep forgetting briefly everything that had happened…

Emily sat at the edge of her bed, her hands were trembling and she was sweating. The nerves were overwhelming her once again, this was it. She had her phone between her hands and it was time to make the call, she had tried a while ago to do it but she had failed, the only thing she could do was lock the phone again and take deep breathes.

She dialed the number and this time she pressed the call button and brought her phone to her ear.

A lump formed in her throat and she felt as if she had no air in her lungs for a moment, the phone had line but Hanna didn't pick up which made her even more nervous until finally, she answered.

"Emily?" The blonde girl said at the other end of the line. Emily swallowed and rubbed the back of her neck

"Hey Hanna" She said with a weak voice

"Thanks God you're calling me now" Hanna said in relieve "I thought something had happened to you"

"Why the hell did you call me Hanna?" Emily asked irritated "I thought our deal was that I called you every week, not the other way around"

Hanna let out a sigh, Emily sounded nervous, and she really was, her hands were sweaty and she was ready to hear the bad news if necessary.

"Em, you didn't call me last week" Hanna said "That's why I was calling you, because you… for some damn reason didn't call me last week and I was scared as hell that something could've happened to you"

"Oh…" Emily realized finally what her friend was saying. Hanna was right; last week she had been really busy with work, Paige… she totally forgot to call her friend to let her know everything was okay

"I just wanted to make sure that you were fine"

"I am" Emily said relieved "I just was really busy and I forgot"

"Don't you dare to scare me like that again" Hanna joked

"Sorry" Emily mumbled "But… everything's okay right?" She asked worriedly "I mean she…"

"I saw her a few days ago" Hanna confessed. Emily gulped audibly

"Where?"

"At the park, I was walking home after finishing at work and I saw her" Hanna said, she realized how silent Emily was all of a sudden and let out a sigh "She doesn't know where you are Em, you're safe"

"Really?" Emily asked "Because every fucking time I close my eyes I see her face"

"I know sweetheart but she can't hurt you now; you are far from here and she doesn't know where you are" Hanna soother

"Yeah, but I just think that it is matter of time that she finds out where I am" Emily said sadly.

"I am not going to let that happen Em; the only ones that know where you are Ezra and me, so you're safe"

"I'm glad to hear that" Emily breathed out

"I know" Hanna said smiling "And I am sorry to scare you like this, I just wanted to know that you were okay"

"It's okay, I totally forgot to call you last week" Emily admitted

"I see" Hanna said mischievously. Emily frowned "Can I know why were you so busy?"

"What do you mean?" Emily asked playing dumb, Hanna let out a small laugh

"Oh come on Emily, you know what I'm saying; have you find the love of your life finally?" The blonde asked

"No matter how time passes Han, you're always still the same" Emil said

"You still didn't answer my question"

"No" Emily said simply. There was a silence at the other end of the line and then Hanna let out a small yelp

"Oh my God, you're totally lying" Hanna said "Who is she?"

"There's no one" Emily said again

"Em, I know you as well as I know myself and I can totally tell when you're lying, and right now you're lying" Hanna stated

"You're really annoying"

"You know its fine to meet someone else right?" Hanna asked "After all what happened you deserve a bit of happiness and fun"

"I know" Emily said "But for the moment I'm okay"

"Okay, okay" Hanna said giving up "I have to go, I need to go back to work, I'm really glad that you're fine"

"Thanks" Emily said

"Don't forget to call me next week"

"I won't"

"And Em"

"Yeah?" Emily asked as she stood up

"You have to introduce me to that mystery girl of yours soon"

"Idiot" Emily mumbled as she smiled brightly. Hanna let out a laugh and ended the call.

After throwing her phone to the bed, Emily breathed relieved, she couldn't even start to describe how relieved and content she felt right now, she had been so scared and nervous that now she felt relaxed and happy. She didn't have a reason to be worried, at least not for the moment.

She looked at the clock and realized that she was late. "Shit" She said as she ran to the closet to pick up her clothes and then ran to the bathroom as fast as she could to get ready.

She didn't want to let Spencer down, she knew how important this 'date' was for her and she had to be there on time.

* * *

By the time she got to the restaurant, Spencer, Toby and Ezra were already there waiting for her. Emily apologized for being so late and joined them at the table; the atmosphere was nice in there, she loved to see Spencer so radiant and so happy sitting next to Toby.

The boy was really nice, Emily had imagined her in a different way but he matched Spencer perfectly, he was shy at first, always talking politely but as they went through conversations he became more comfortable.

The only one there feeling a bit out of place was Ezra. He wasn't really excited about meeting Toby, and at first he showed it by frowning every two seconds and growling every time the boy talked.

Fortunately for everyone, when Toby mentioned something about baseball Ezra finally let down the guard and started a nice conversation; and in the end they actually had more things in common that they thought.

"It was a really lovely dinner" Emily said as she walked next to Ezra at the end of their dinner.

It was cold outside, the sky was dark above them and the streets were empty and peaceful; after leaving the restaurant Toby had taken Spencer home and Ezra and Emily walked to the parking lot in silence.

"It was" He said smiling

"I thought you were having a really bad time" Emily joked

"Shut up" Ezra said "I… have to admit that I kind of overreacted when she first invited us to this but it is okay now"

"I'm really glad that Spencer is happy, this Toby guy seems nice"

"As far as I hate to admit this… yes, he is and I'm glad to see her smile again" Ezra admitted

"I talked to Hanna" Emily said changing the subject. Ezra stopped and looked at her expectantly

"And?" He asked

"She was just worried about me" Emily said

"I told you so" Ezra beamed "Everything is just fine"

"Yeah, and I feel so stupid for getting so scared and nervous"

"It's normal Emily, after what you've lived is normal to react like this, you have to get used to the fact that you're free from your life in California"

"I know"

"Maybe following Spencer's steps wouldn't be a bad idea" Ezra suggested

"What steps?"

"Well… have you thought about maybe start dating someone or try to meet someone?" He asked

"Ezra…"

"I know, I know" He said raising his hands "But it's been a long time and I just don't like to see you alone; you should consider the possibility of being open to love soon"

"Thanks for the advice, but I am fine now" Emily said, she couldn't exactly explain that she had already a relationship and that she was happy, so she just wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.

"I know, but it's just that… don't you miss it?" Ezra asked

"Miss what?"

"Being with someone, having someone waiting for you at home after work, having a free day and going outside to have a walk with your partner and maybe having dates and that stuff" Ezra explained

"I'm assuming that maybe it's you the one missing that" Emily said

"Yeah, I miss it, and that's why I guess that you might miss it too"

Emily looked down. She missed all that stuff Ezra had just mentioned, she missed to be able to be open about her love life and be able to show her love in front of people; then an image of her previous argument flashed through her mind and she took a deep breath. She had been an idiot to Paige, and she needed to fix it. Even if they had to hide, Paige made her feel good, she felt special with her and even if she couldn't talk to anyone about her, she was happy and she didn't want that happiness to end just by being scared.

"Those things sound good" Emily said "And just so you know, I am not completely closed up to love, it's just that I need time for me, I want to get to fix my life before starting to share it with someone"

Ezra smiled at her and nodded, after all what she was saying made complete sense; Emily had every right to be scared and reluctant about love and he admired her for being so strong and confident with all she lived.

"I guess you're right" He said smiling, they started to walk again to the car.

"You know I'm always right" Emily joked

"Do you want me to ride you home?" He asked once they arrived to the car. Emily thought about the offer, the idea of not having to walk alone in the middle of the night was tempting but then she just thought about Paige. She had to talk to her and it had to be now.

"Thanks for the offer but there's somewhere else I need to go" She said

"I can take you there, it's really late"

Emily considered it, she couldn't just say to Ezra to take her to a student's house so late at night; that would be weird.

"Thank you but I think I'll walk" She said

"Sure?" He said "Where are you going that you need to walk there so late?" Emily looked at him and let out a smile as she thought the answer.

"To fix things" She said simply as she started to walk.

* * *

The McCullers house was immersed in a deep silence; it was a little scary actually, to be outside surrounded by the murmur of the night insects and creatures and the loneliness that reigned on the streets. Emily stood in front of the door fidgeting with the end of her jacket as she tried to decide if this was a good idea or not.

She had acted over an impulse, the need of talking to Paige; but now she was at her porch, in the middle of the night and probably while Paige's parents where inside of the house as well as Paige.

This was a stupid idea, why if Claire or Nick her saw her there? She didn't have an explanation for that…

She took a few steps back distancing herself from the house and looked at the windows. There was no light in them, probably everyone was asleep now, it was late after all, but she had an idea.

Emily grabbed her phone and composed a quick text sending it right away and waiting patiently for the answer.

-Are you awake? - Was all she asked. And the response came up quickly actually. She saw a light through one of the windows and a second later her phone beeped in her hand

-I am- Paige answered. Emily let out a small smile, Paige was never so cold through texts, maybe she was still mad at her

-I want to see you- Emily wrote back hoping that Paige wouldn't mind

-I'm home now, I can't go to yours-

-I know, but instead you could just open the front door- Emily wrote.

There was no response after that, which made Emily assume that maybe Paige had understood the message and was going to talk to her.

Seconds later she heard some steps behind the door before it opened slowly. Emily tried to offer a smile but she failed when she saw Paige's state.

She wasn't sure if the girl looked so disheveled because of she was sleeping or because she had been crying; she was dressed in sweats and an oversized shirt, and her eyes seemed to be a bit swollen and red.

"Hi" Emily breathed out

"What are you doing here?" Paige asked bitterly. Emily bit her lower lip and looked down, she could sense some hint of hostility towards her and she knew exactly why, Paige was definitely still mad at her.

"I came to see you"

"It's almost midnight" Paige said

"I know, and it might be crazy but I just… needed to talk to you"

Paige met her eyes briefly before landing her gaze on some point of the porch, she swallowed heavily and finally nodded after thinking about it.

"Come in" She commanded as she opened the door fully and stepped to the side so Emily could walk in

"We should talk outside… I mean, your parents might…"

"My parents aren't home" Paige explained, Emily walked inside the house and Paige closed the door.

"Oh…"

"They went to Scranton, for a stupid medicine seminar" Paige said

"Okay, so I guess this make things easy" Emily said more to herself than to Paige.

"I guess" Paige mumbled.

The inside of the house was dark as well, the only light was the one coming from Paige's room upstairs that could be seen from where they were.

"Come here" Paige instructed leading Emily upstairs into her room.

They stepped inside and Emily looked around a bit surprised; it had been ages since she las had been there, she remembered a five year old Paige painting the walls of her room with a bright pink color and playing with her stuffed animals and toys on the floor.

But that was long ago, the room had changed a lot since then, as well as Paige. The walls were painted in a light blue color, there were shelves plagued with trophies and medals, pictures of Paige's siblings and friends. And another detail that Emily had never seen before was that the walls were full of pictures, there were pictures of nature, of people, pictures of sunrises and animals, and in the center of the room, there was the king sized bed.

The bed was messy; Emily knew that Paige probably had been sleeping or maybe just lying down before she arrived there.

Paige turned to face her and crossed her arms over her chest protectively waiting for Emily to talk. Emily observed her, she definitely had been crying, she had her cheeks stained with tears and her eyes were bloody red.

"You wanted to talk" Paige said coldly "Talk"

"Paige" Emily said, she reached a hand to try and touch the girl's arm but Paige took a step back "I know you're mad" She said

"Really?" Paige said sarcastically

"I'm sorry" Emily said "I'm really sorry for treating you so badly before… I was-"

"Mad?" Paige interrupted her "Upset? Angry? So what Emily?" She asked "it doesn't mean that you have to throw it up on me"

"I know Paige" Emily said with a low voice

"I had no intention of getting us caught this morning, I just saw that you weren't doing your best in class and I thought that you might need help, but then you just shut me down and were fucking rude to me" Paige blurted out raising her voice.

Emily felt silent for a moment, Paige probably needed to let it all out and she needed to let her.

"I know that you don't want to talk about whatever the hell that is troubling you" Paige continued, she was obviously referring to the day when Emily had the nightmare and refused to tell Paige about it "I know that and I respect that but damn Emily I am not your fucking punch bag"

As she finished the sentence tears ran down her cheeks once again. Emily now realized how much she had hurt the girl before, she didn't know that she would be so affected and she felt bad for making Paige cry and feel so miserable.

"Paige" She mumbled as she approached to Paige, she tried to cup Paige's cheeks but the girl pulled apart as she sobbed.

Emily didn't desist though, she walked to her again and trapped her body in a tight hug; despite of Paige's attempts to get free from it, Emily just kept bringing her closer to her body until Paige finally stopped fighting and wrapped her arms tightly around her sobbing on her shoulder.

"You have no idea of how sorry I am for making you feel so bad" Emily whispered as she nuzzled her face against Paige's hair softly "You're the only person in the world that makes me feel good and safe and I totally forgot that"

"You treated me as if I was just a kid" Paige said, Emily rubbed her hand softly over Paige's back trying to soothe her "I don't like to feel like that"

"I know" Emily said, Paige pulled apart enough to be able to see Emily's eyes; then she wiped up her tears and sniffed softly

"I have enough with my mother treating me like that" She mumbled.

Emily cupped her cheek and ran her thumb over the skin; she looked into Paige's eyes apologetically and then leaned closer and kissed the very spot she had caressed a second ago with her finger.

The kiss send tingles all over Paige's body, Emily kissed her a few times and then moved her mouth until she landed one last kiss on the corner of Paige's mouth.

"You are important to me Paige, the most important person in my life right now and I am here to fix the damage I did to you because I care for you, and because I can't stand to see you so upset because of me" Emily whispered, she withdrew her hands from Paige's face and moved them to her hips pulling her body against hers and then running her hands along her front carefully eyeing the girl's face seeking for some sign of doubt.

"You know, I am really mad at you" Paige breathed out, Emily's lips reached the soft flesh of her neck and started to kiss her way down her throat nibbling the skin while she cupped her butt through her clothes.

"I know" Emily said between kisses

"And when I am mad I don't want anyone near me not even in the same room" Paige continued. Emily hummed against her neck and then captured her earlobe making Paige squirm in pleasure, Emily loved the fact that Paige always made cute noises when she played with her earlobes and neck. "I don't even know why I'm letting you touch me…" Paige mumbled.

Emily breathed out a laugh and pecked Paige's lips reaching the hem of her shirt at the same time.

"Because you want this" Emily stated as she encouraged Paige to lift her arms to take the shirt off. Paige did as instructed and after getting rid of the shirt she moved to kiss Emily.

The kiss was urgent, and with a hint of anger in it; Paige was being aggressive showing a growing hunger as she devoured Emily's mouth fervently pushing her towards the bed. They both needed this, the perfect little bubble they had created the previous night as they made love for the first time had disappeared now that they both stepped back into the real world, and they needed quickly to reinforce their connection.

Emily's calves hit the edge of the bed and Paige pushed her lightly so she sat, but obviously not breaking the kiss. Paige pulled apart after a moment to breathe some oxygen and stood in front of her looking right through Emily's eyes.

Emily's eyes were dark full of lust and desire, she was agitated due to the aggressiveness of the kiss and at the same time she was turned on beyond measure; Paige standing shirtless in front of her only helped the fire in her body to rise up.

She placed both hands on the hem of Paige's sweats and pulled the garment down just a few centimeters, revealing Paige's pale skin, Emily leaned in quickly and kissed the girl's hip bones softly before nipping the skin making Paige moan at the feeling. She wanted her naked.

After kissing her one more time, Emily quickly pushed the pants down leaving Paige only in her underwear; then she grabbed Paige by the arm and pulled her onto the bed until the girl was on top of her and they were once again kissing.

"I thought you wanted to talk" Paige said as she moved to kiss Emily's jaw line. Emily gripped at her shoulders as she felt Paige's lips working on her neck

"We already did" She said in a moan

"So your plan was to fuck our anger out?" Paige asked

"It's not a bad plan" Emily said

"Yeah, but I just thought that sex was not the answer to the problems" Paige mumbled, she slid her hand under Emily's shirt and caressed her stomach.

"Maybe not, but right now we both want and need this" Emily said in a purr as she massaged Paige's breasts through the bra

"Yes… but you're wearing too many clothes" Paige said, she let out a smile against Emily's skin as she kissed her way up to her mouth.

"We can fix that" Emily said.

She sat on the bed allowing Paige to take off her blouse and then took off her pants quickly leaving them both in just their underwear.

Paige pushed her slowly until she was once again lying on the bed and hovered over her kissing her senseless.

Emily held onto Paige as the girl kissed her way down her body; her lips were hot against her skin, she kissed the valley between Emily's breasts a few times before unclasping the bra and throwing it to the other end of the room. Paige was breathless at the sight of Emily's perfect tanned breasts; she was never going to get tired of that view.

She dipped her head and kissed the skin around one of the breasts before taking a nipple in her mouth. Emily let out a loud moan; she intertwined her hands on Paige's long hair and closed her eyes as she felt the girl's ministrations.

Paige took her time with each breast, she knew that she had plenty of time if she wanted to and she definitely didn't see Emily complaining so she kissed her perfect chest until she felt that she had given that area the proper attention. Then she moved the kissing down her body, kissing the woman's stomach and caressing her skin.

Emily was totally lost in the pleasure, Paige's lips were being torture to her and she felt as if she was going to die if Paige didn't touch her where she needed.

"Paige…" Emily said as she noticed that Paige was not going down any further.

"What?" Paige asked smiling mischievously, she knew what Emily was going to say, but she wanted to tease, she deserved it.

"Stop… Teasing" Emily managed to say. Paige nipped the skin on her hipbone and smiled as she continued kissing

"I'm not teasing" Paige said innocently.

Emily growled in frustration, but fortunately Paige wasn't going to keep with the teasing, she knew what Emily needed so she was going to give it to her.

She encouraged Emily to spread her legs wider and then kissed her inner thighs lovingly making Emily groan, she was painfully close to where Emily most needed her and she had to act.

Paige had fantasized with this a lot of times; she had wanted to taste Emily for a long time, now it was her chance. At first she felt a bit insecure, she had never done that to anyone, but she had to kick those thoughts out of her mind, because there was no time for insecurities, she wanted Emily, and Emily had done that to her that morning, so it was time to return the favor.

"Paige for fuck's sake you need to stop teasing" Emily mumbled as she felt Paige's mouth hover over her center.

Paige smiled and placed both hands on Emily's thighs before leaning in and running her tongue experimentally along Emily's slit

"Oh God!" Emily yelled as she felt the contact. Paige's tongue was soft and hot against her folds, and it brought tingles all over her body clouding her mind with pleasure "Fuck Paige" She said again once Paige repeated the action.

This time though, Paige ran her tongue all the way up until she reached her clit, she focused her attention on the small bundle of nerves and licked it a few times before continuing her intimate ministrations there.

Emily was gone; she had taken a fistful of Paige's hair trying to get some support, she was screaming in pleasure as the girl drove her to the orgasm with her tongue. Emily had never felt something like that, it was a delicious pleasure that was starting to build inside of her and having Paige in such an intimate position with her make her go crazy.

She had done the same to the girl that morning but she never imagined Paige going down on her, it was the best thing ever.

"Paige… don't stop…" Emily wasn't even able to form a complete sentence, she was about to lose it and Paige knew it.

She loved to hear Emily saying her name, it was hot and sweet at the same time; she could feel Emily's body tensing up more and more as she plunged her tongue inside of her and took her clit between her lips sucking on it gently.

Finally, after a few more seconds, Emily came hard against Paige's mouth with a loud moan of pleasure.

Her body relaxed immediately after all the tension she made before orgasming, Paige kissed the way up to her boy until she reached her lips once again and kissed her sloppily.

"Fuck" Emily said "That was… intense"

Paige smiled against her mouth and then pulled apart looking at Emily in the eyes, Emily frowned when she saw the girl's expression.

"I'm not done" Paige said, with that she just plunged two fingers inside of Emily without warning.

"Paige!" Emily yelped as she felt her body start to respond to the act "I can't" She said

"You can" Paige said kissing her neck as she thrusted deep inside of her "You said you wanted this" She kissed Emily's lips briefly

"You're still mad" Emily said as she felt Paige thrusting harder against her, she moaned in pleasure as she felt Paige's thumb circling her clit while she curled up her fingers inside of her

"No" Paige said as she kissed Emily hard "I am just frustrated with you"

Emily let out a breathy laugh against Paige's mouth, the girl was amazing, she was upset with her but still she was being so sweet in her touches…

"I can cope with your frustration" Emily said, her words came out quickly and she moaned after that as she felt Paige's fingers hit her g-spot again and again.

Paige didn't answer, she kissed Emily's chest as she increased the force of her thrusts, she could feel that Emily was close, she could feel her walls clenching around her fingers and the way she was breathing out frantically trying to say incoherent words.

And as she had guessed, Emily came for the second time with a loud groan. Paige kept curling her fingers inside of her until she finally calmed down and her body relaxed onto the bed.

"Holy fuck" She mumbled as she tried to recover her breath. Paige withdrew her fingers form her core and lied down on top of her kissing her softly.

"Now I'm done" She whispered against Emily's lips.

Emily smiled; she responded to the kisses and started to run her hands on Paige's back scratching her nails on the skin softly.

"Why are you still wearing clothes?" She said as she tugged onto Paige's bra.

Paige pulled apart for a moment and took off her underwear until she was finally naked; she lied once again on top of Emily rubbing her body lightly against hers.

"You feel so good…" Emily mumbled

"You too" Paige agreed.

Emily pulled apart; she caressed Paige's cheeks and placed a lock of auburn hair behind the girl's ear while she eyed her.

"What?" Paige asked, Emily smiled gently and pecked her lips

"I want to make love to you" She whispered. Paige blushed intensely and smiled back at her "But I can't move my legs"

"I let you tired" Paige said as she kissed Emily's neck nipping her skin and then rested her head in her shoulder

"You did" Emily agreed "But I still want you"

"So what are we going to do?" Paige said smiling devilishly.

Emily caressed her cheek, she had been thinking about a certain position but she was reluctant to do it, but seeing how confident Paige seemed right now with her, she had to use that.

"I'm fine lying here" Emily said

"What?"

"I am saying that I am not going to move from here" Emily repeated, she looked at Paige with lust in her eyes

"Oh…"

"Come up here" Emily said gesturing for Paige to move to her face

"You want me to…" Paige started

"Straddle my face? Yeah" Emily smiled. Paige gulped and felt a bit insecure all of a sudden.

This wasn't something she was used to, with Shana she never dared to try any positions, they only used to do the 'normal' one and Shana had always been mad at her for not wanting to prove new things.

But for some weird reason, Paige wanted to do this; it was not about experimenting or something like that… it felt natural with Emily, she didn't feel pressured and she knew that if she would've said no, Emily wouldn't have been mad at her.

She quickly made her way towars Emily's upped body. The woman lied on her back and waited until Paige's body was hovering over her face, Paige moved her leg until she finally was in the position Emily wanted.

This was a very intimate position, from this angle, Emily could see every single inch of Paige's core, and Paige felt vulnerable but at the same time turned on.

Emily didn't waste time and grabbed Paige by the thighs pulling her closer to her legs and then she ran her tongue over Paige's center hard.

"Oh… Em!" Paige's scream was loud, she grabbed the headboard and rested her foreahead against the wall as she tried to control herself.

Emily's tongue worked on her expertly, Paige did her best to hold on and not come so quickly; the truth was that the mere touch of Emily's body could make her come immediately.

She had to do her best to steady her body, grabbing the headboard hard for support trying to not collapse onto Emily's face; the effects of Emily's actions were starting to let her agitated, her legs were shaky and her breathing was heavy as she tried not to scream too loud.

"Emily… fuck" Paige mumbled

"That's what I'm doing honey" Emily whispered, her hot breath vibrated around Paige's clit making her shiver in pleasure "Stop holding back" She said again.

Paige was about to lose it, she couldn't take it anymore and she did as she was told right away; she let out a muffled scream followed by a mewling moan as she came hard. Emily kept licking and sucking until she noted Paige more calmed and then Paige fell on her back as if she was made of jelly.

"Wow" She mumbled, her body was upside down from Emily's, her head was at Emily's feet and her legs were wrapped around Emily's waist.

"I just rocked your world didn't I?" Emily asked jokingly as she sat on the bed tugging at Paige's arm to make her sit down as well.

Paige was still a bit weak from her orgasm and rested her head on Emily's shoulder as she hugged her tightly.

"You did" She mumbled "I understand why people say that make up sex is the best"

Emily started laughing and started rubbing random patterns along Paige's back as they both relaxed.

"I hate that we argued though" Emily said a bit sad, she could remember Paige's hurt face and she hated it.

"Yeah, but I guess it's normal… you know, couples argue, and we fixed it in the end" Paige said smiling

"I still can't believe that we are a couple" Emily said

"I know, me neither"

"And of course we fixed it, I couldn't stand the fact that I hurt you" Emily whispered "I am really sorry about what happened"

"Em, it's okay"

"No… listen" Emily said seriously. She moved so they bodies finally separated, they lied next to each other on the bed "You are doing a huge effort here" She said caressing Paige's arm "I know how scared you were of being intimate with me, and how scared you were to have a relationship, and here you are, being the most cute and sweet girlfriend… and I am not"

"Don't say that" Paige said "You're perfect"

"I really appreciate that you are not pushing me to tell you my secrets" Emily said "But I want to tell you"

"You don't have to" Paige said "I told you that it wasn't necessary unless you're ready"

"I know, and I am not exactly ready for it… but I promise you that I am going to try"

"You don't have to feel pressured" Paige said soothingly "You know I can wait"

"That's what I like so much about you" Emily mumbled

"What?"

"The fact that you're so understanding and sweet"

"You are too"

Emily smiled and looked down, she felt the need to say the 'magic' words now, she felt it, she had wanted to say them before but she hadn't been able; now she knew that she was ready.

"I love you, Paige" She said with a serious tone, she never meant something so much in her life.

"Really?" Paige frowned at her choice of words, she hadn't expected Emily to say that and it left her shocked

"I do" Emily said "I love you so much that… I can even tell"

"I love you too" Paige said finally.

Emily smiled and leaned in to kiss her "You're not saying this because I said it right?"

"No" Paige said "I love you Em, I've always loved you, ever since I was a kid and I followed you around because I wanted to be near you as much as possible"

Emily eyed her, she could see the sincerity in her eyes and it was endearing; this was one of the most intimate moments she had ever had, not even the sexual ones couldn't compare to this feeling.

"You know…" Paige started "My parents are not going to be around until two days"

"And?" Emily asked suggestively

"Well, I was thinking that maybe… now that we're alone I could show you how much I love you" Paige said smiling

"Well, thank god that we're alone because honey, I bet that pretty much the whole neighborhood listened to you before" Emily said laughing. Paige smacked her shoulder playfully as she laughed too.

"I am not that loud"

"Oh, believe me, you are" Emily said

"And you, Ms. Fields, are the definition of discretion and silence don't you?" Paige asked

Emily kissed Paige's shoulder and then moved to kiss her neck; Paige wrapped her arms around her and smiled against her skin

"Say Ms. Fields again" Emily commanded

"What about we check again who is the loudest?" Emily asked jokingly

"Do your worst Ms. Fields"

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay, this is it, this is the last chapter I posting before deleting the story. I hope you enjoy it and get ready because tomorrow I'll be posting the new chapter! Thanks for your support and well, enjoy :)**

Chapter 26: Reunion

The sound of their steps were the only audible thing in the whole street; it was a cold morning around seven o'clock, the town seemed to be deserted since it was early and Emily and Paige, instead of use their time to get some sleep, after a long night of doing other activities, had decided to catch up with the training.

They were running far from the center, in a small street that rounded the woods and stopped before a thin grass path that crossed the woods area. They were silent as they ran rapidly now, they had started at a normal pace to warm up first and after a few minutes just jogging Emily had started to increase the speed until they were almost sprinting now.

Paige was almost out of breath, the air exited heavily from her lungs and she felt her diaphragm aching inside of her, she didn't want to admit it, but she was about to die right now. She was supposed to be the one having better resistance and there she was, completely dying and breathing heavily and there was Emily a few feet from her and she seemed completely normal, as if this was some sort of routine for her.

Suddenly, and finally, Emily lowered her pace until she stopped running and Paige did the same.

She arched her back and placed her hands on her knees as she breathed heavily, Emily turned to see her and smiled brightly when she saw her like this.

"Are you tired?" She asked jokingly as she took a few deep breaths

"I'm just trying to breathe a bit"

"I thought that you said that you had way more resistance than me" Emily said cockily as she eyed her watch trying to see how many time they ran.

"Shut up" Paige said smiling "I'm just a bit out of shape"

"Or maybe you're just tired because you used all of your energy last night" Emily said approaching her. Paige laughed

"Maybe" She said

"You're going to need lots of training to be as good as me McCullers" Emily said jokingly. Paige closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Emily's waist pulling her closer to her.

"That's why we're here" She whispered as she dipped her head and kissed Emily's neck gently at first, then she just moved her lips along her skin making Emily squirm at the touch.

Emily closed her eyes at the pleasure of having Paige kissing her; her lips were soft and hot against her neck; she felt tingles running all over her body and then she felt her shirt being slightly pushed up as Paige slid her hands inside to caress her sides softly.

She joined their lips in a slow kiss, Emily brought her hands to Paige's neck as she responded happily to the kiss opening her mouth and letting the girl kiss her with abandon.

Their lips moved against each other as they increased the speed; Paige's hands were suddenly sliding down Emily's body grazing her butt against the fabric of her sweats.

"Mmm… we have to stop" Emily said as she pulled apart for a second. Paige followed her not letting her stay away too much and crushed their lips again.

"Why?" She asked, she sucked on Emily's bottom lip gently and ran her tongue over it

"We came here to train"

"We are" Paige said, she refused to leave Emily's lips so easily.

"You need…" Emily moaned when Paige kissed a certain spot behind her ear. She tightened her grip on her neck and pressed her body even more against the girl's "You need to improve your resistance" She managed to say.

"My resistance is fine" Paige mumbled

"Really?" Emily asked "Because I saw you a little out of breath before" She joked. Paige kissed her hard

"Yeah… I'm just tired from last night" Paige whispered "You know… when we used all our energy"

Emily smiled against the kiss and separated a few centimeters looking at Paige in the eyes; the action took the girl a bit by surprise since she wasn't expecting Emily to be so serious.

Emily just took a moment to look at her; she took a deep breath and smiled as she stroked her cheek sweetly. She couldn't believe that they were there, in the woods, kissing, just as if everything was normal between them. She wouldn't have believed years ago that, that little girl that was like a sister to her was going to be the most important person in the world for her and that they were going to have such an intimate relationship.

"I love you" She whispered as she looked into deep brown eyes. Paige gulped, Emily's stare made her knees weak and her heart stop. She kissed the woman's cheek lovingly and rested her forehead against hers.

"I love you too" She said

They smiled to each other and then Emily hugged her, it was a tight hug, but with something different in it; these days things had changed so much between them, it seemed as if suddenly all kind of barrier between them was now gone, and they had a level of intimacy, both emotional and physical that they never had with anyone before. And the hug… it seemed as if they were hugging with the soul rather than just their bodies.

"I think we should go" Emily said finally pulling away

"Why?" Paige said pouting

"Well, we have to go to school remember?" Emily asked jokingly "It's necessary"

"I'd rather be here with you all day" Paige mumbled "Away from everyone… just you and me"

Emily approached her and smiled sadly "I know, and I promise you that we'll have a day to ourselves"

"I just wish that we could be together like this every day" Paige confessed "This whole… hiding and waiting thing is so frustrating"

"I know" Emily agreed "But for the moment is all we have, just remember that in a few more months you'll be graduated, and we could do whatever you want"

Paige smiled "Are you ready to come out as my girlfriend to my parents?" she asked. Emily took a deep breath.

"We'll go step by step" She said

Paige let out a laugh; she couldn't imagine introducing Emily as her girlfriend to Claire… that will be an interesting scene to see in the future.

"Are you ready?" Emily said, she stretched her body quickly and took a deep breath, Paige looked at her curiously as she reminded still in her place

"For what?" She asked. Emily smiled devilishly

"For a last race" With that said, she walked a few steps from Paige and started to run along the grass path again, Paige stood one second there a bit surprised "Come on McCullers! Show me what you've got" She screamed as she kept running.

Paige took the hint and started running finally, she went slowly at first since this wasn't planned but managed to find a good rhythm as she gave everything she had in the race.

* * *

They both arrived to the road area again in less than five minutes and then just jogged until they arrived to Paige's house to get changed.

Emily had spent the night there, Paige had asked her to stay with her since her parents weren't home until the next day, she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Emily, and Emily wasn't going to complain, she was getting used lately to sleep beside the girl, to see her every day and she had to use every time she could to spend time with her.

They stepped into the house breathing heavily as they took off their shoes and walked upstairs to Paige's room in silence.

"I think you are really getting better with the training" Emily said as she took a seat at the edge of the bed. Paige, who was grabbing some stuff from her drawers to have a shower looked at her.

"Thanks" She said smiling "It's funnier to train with you"

"I know" Emily said in a joke

"Don't be so smug" Paige said throwing Emily a towel as she laughed. "Are you going first?" She asked then. Emily arched an eyebrow

"First for what?"

"We need to shower don't we?" Paige asked ironically "Unless you want to be all sweaty for the rest of the day"

Emily stood up, her eyes darker than usual and a smile forming on the corners of her lips "I thought that we were going to shower together" She whispered.

Paige felt the hairs of her neck stirring at the words and felt a tingle running through her spine. She gulped. "We shouldn't" She said shakily "We shouldn't get distracted"

Emily smiled at her and shrugged her shoulders "It's not that late" She said "We have a bit of time to get distracted"

Paige didn't have any kind of power to fight Emily back, she couldn't say no to the woman and after those words she just nodded and they both walked to the bathroom.

Once the door was closed behind them, Emily got rid of her shirt as Paige started the hot water. "Someone's eager" the girl said as she saw how quickly Emily discarded all her clothes.

"Yep" She said simply unclasping her bra "And you should hurry too. I need you naked"

Paige blushed incredibly fast at the words but didn't reply; she stepped out of her sweats and shirt and then removed her underwear quickly as she watched Emily enter the shower.

She took a moment, just a brief second to admire the view before her. Emily was under the water now, small droplets fell down her body contouring her features… she was breathtakingly beautiful. Paige eyed the woman's perfect round breasts as they got covered by steamy hot water.

Suddenly, Emily realized that Paige was zoned out in front of the shower and she extended her arm gently inviting her to join in.

"Are you coming?" Emily asked smiling. Paige came back to planet earth finally and smiled.

"Of course"

She stepped under the water and as soon as she was there, Emily's soft arms wrapped around her body in an intimate hug as she kissed her jawline and her neck hungrily.

Paige closed her eyes. Her mouth hung open as she felt Emily's mouth connected to one of her nipples and let out a muffled moan as she tangled her hands on Emily's hair pressing her tighter against her chest.

She found this situation awkwardly funny. Now that they were sexually active together Paige found funny the fact that they were now both naked under the shower and that she got so turned on by the mere fact of seeing Emily naked. Now that she thought about it, they had seen each other naked in the past, or at least Emily had seen her, but it never meant anything… it felt weird now to have the woman about to take her right there.

 _12 years ago_

"Stop splashing water!" Emily said in annoyance as she wiped some droplets from her face. Her plea completely ignored since as soon as she relaxed again a new stream of water came out of the bathtub. She let out a deep breath and smiled in resignation.

Paige was sat before her, cross-legged inside of the tub as she splashed water happily and played with the soap.

"I'm a mermaid" Paige said between laughs as she disappeared inside the water and emerged again a second later throwing more water to Emily's face.

"Ugh… okay mermaid, you need to stay still for a moment so we can finish here" Emily said.

"I don't want to get out of the water" Paige said "I like it"

"Yeah, but soon the water is going to get cold, and you're going to turn into a prune"

"I don't care" Paige said beaming happily. Emily laughed, she had to admit that even if Paige drove her nuts sometimes, she was funny, and she always made her smile somehow.

"Well, then you should get out of here because if your mom comes back and sees you there she's going to freak out" Emily said.

Paige opened her eyes in horror and shook her head "Don't tell" She said

"Of course I am not going to tell her anything Paige" Emily said

Earlier that day, Emily had taken Paige to one of their Saturdays together, they went to the Brew to have breakfast and then they grabbed their bikes and went to the woods, to the part where the lake was, it was a nice place to spend the day.

And everything was going okay, until Paige fell accidentally with her bike and ended up in a small puddle of mud. So after that they went back home and sneaked the dirty clothes into the washer quickly and Emily helped Paige get clean.

Suddenly, as they were finishing, the door cracked opened and Cassie stepped into the bathroom with a curious look.

"What's happening here?" She asked. Emily looked at her startled and smiled.

"Bath time!" Paige said happily splashing water again.

"Stop it!" Emily said laughing. Paige covered her mouth as she let out a laugh too.

"How the hell did you manage to put this one in the water?" Cassie asked surprised

"Well, it wasn't that hard" Emily said

"Ugh… it takes me ages to get her clean" Cassie mumbled

"That's because you have no patience at all" Emily said

"Well then, good luck getting her out of the water" Cassie said as she opened the door again.

Emily stood up quickly and looked at Paige "Yeah P, you should get out soon" Cassie let out a laugh when she saw her sister splashing again without listening to Emily "I promise you we can eat some chocolate if you want later"

As soon as Paige heard this, she stood up in one movement and jumped into Emily's arms wetting her clothes.

"Unbelievable" Cassie muttered "I don't know what you have done to her Em… but keep doing it"

"Your sister only needs a bit of patience" Emily said smiling as she wrapped the towel around the girl in her arms "Right Paige?" She asked. Paige kissed her cheek in response

"I'm going to go now" Cassie said "Maybe you want to stay for dinner so you can feed Paige without incidents" She joked as she left.

"Are you going to stay Em?" Paige asked raising her eyebrows in a really cute way. Emily placed the towel on her hair as she dried her and thought about it.

"We'll see" She said smiling "Maybe if you don't put much trouble to put your clothes" She joked

"I won't" Paige said "Promised"

* * *

 _Present day_

"What are you thinking about?" Emily asked between kisses as she ascended on Paige's body and trapped her lips in a lustful kiss. Her hands were roaming freely over Paige's front, kneading her breasts and caressing her skin.

"Just stuff" Paige said between pants. She wrapped her arms around Emily's back as she opened her mouth to allow their tongues to meet.

"What stuff?" Emily asked, she kissed Paige's nose and looked straight into her eyes "You seemed worried"

"I'm not" Paige said quickly "I swear… I was just remembering a few things from the past"

"What things?" Emily asked curious.

"You know… some moments between us when I was a kid" Paige mumbled.

Emily kissed her again, letting her lips linger on Paige's soft skin and her hands started to move again. "Is that it?" She asked. Paige nodded.

"It's just that it feels weird sometimes, to be able to touch you like this" Paige said as she ran a hand over Emily's naked chest, gracing her nipples softly

"Well, it must feel weird, but now you can touch all you want" Emily said smiling.

She pressed her body further against Paige's and crushed their lips again. Soon, Paige's body was pressed against the wall as they devoured each other's mouths and their hands wondered around each other's body.

"You're not remembering those things because you regret what's happening now right?" Emily asked pulling apart a bit to be able to look at Paige.

Paige let out a smile "Of course not Em" She said "I already told you that I don't regret anything"

"I know" Emily said "It's just that sometimes it amazes me that you are with me"

Paige caressed her cheek softly "I love you" She said "And it amazes me too, the fact that you, being so hot… and being able to have whoever you want, decided to be with me"

Emily smiled brightly as she heard the words, her right hand, which had been placed on Paige's lower abdomen, made its way until it was hovering dangerously close over Paige's center.

Paige let out a deep breath followed by a groan when she felt Emily's hand rubbing her clit lightly, teasingly at first, and then Emily applied more pressure making the girl squirm.

"Em…" Paige said. Emily's fingers were now wondering between her incredibly wet folds "Don't tease" She managed to say.

Emily laughed and started to kiss her neck slowly and sensually as she put more pressure onto the girl's clit, rubbing it more fervently earning tiny moans from Paige.

"What do you want then?" She asked as she nibbled Paige's earlobe and kissed the spot behind her ear that made her groan in pleasure.

Paige was holding onto Emily's body tightly, she couldn't take it anymore, she felt her abdomen contracting and her mind was clouded with arousal. "I want… fuck" she said, Emily laughed against her neck

"What?" She encouraged

"Emily!" Paige begged

"You're not talking to me" Emily said smiling, she was enjoying the teasing a little too much.

"I can't" Paige managed to say between moans

"Oh, you do" Emily said she pressed her hand harder against the girl's clit

"Ugh… I want… you… inside" Paige said "Fuck"

Emily teased her one more time and then obliged happily plunging two fingers inside of her and started to thrust hard against her.

"OH GOD" Paige yelled as she dug her nails in Emily's back. She closed her eyes at the pleasure of being filled and panted hard once she started to feel the familiar tightening in her stomach.

Emily kissed her gently as she thrusted harder and faster against the girl in her arms; Paige's legs were shaky and she felt as if she was going to fall anytime soon, so Emily wrapped her free arm around the girl's waist steadying her in place and offering support.

"That feels so good…" Paige mumbled against Emily's shoulder as she moaned. Emily smiled proudly

They kept a steady rhythm at first, Emily's thrusts were hard and Paige jerked her hips forward to get more pleasure. The moment was intense, their bodies seemed to be melted together as they got lost into each other; their bodies were pressed together hard as Emily built up Paige's orgasm.

"If you're holding back" Emily whispered into Paige's ear "Don't" She commanded "I want to hear you"

Paige buried her head in the crook of Emily's neck as she let out a yelp in pleasure; she tightened her grip on the woman and started to pant desperately trying to get some air.

"I'm going to come" She said as she moaned this time louder.

Suddenly Paige's moans were filling the steamy air of the bathroom as she tried to get as much pleasure as possible. Emily thrusted harder, curling her fingers inside of the girl until Paige finally, with a throaty moan came against her hand.

"Fuck" Paige mumbled as she grabbed onto Emily for support. Her legs were shaky, she was trembling as the waves of her orgasm hit her and she felt like she was in a cloud right now.

Emily held her quietly as she waited for Paige to recover; she kissed her chest gently and then peppered kisses all over Paige's face as the girl calmed down.

"I can't feel my legs" Paige said with a goofy smile. Emily kissed her nose and let out a laugh

"That good huh?" She asked

"You know Em… I don't really know if you being so cocky about sex issues makes me irritated or more aroused" Paige said, Emily let out a loud guffaw and pulled the girl even closer so they both were hugging.

"Well, it's not my fault that I'm so good" Emily joked; Paige slammed her shoulder playfully and kissed her neck gently.

"Okay then; I guess all I can do, is return the favor" She said in a purr.

She disentangled her body from Emily's slowly and gave her a smile before kneeling in front of her revealing her intentions.

"We don't have much time" Emily said, Paige encouraged her to spread her legs more.

"We can be quick" Paige said

Emily felt Paige's hot breath over her center and she moved back a bit so her back was resting against the wall for support. Then she felt Paige's mouth right against her core sucking and making her whole body tingle.

"Jesus Christ" Emily mumbled as her head titled back against the wall, her hands tangled into Paige's long hair "You're going to kill me" She said as a moan escaped her mouth. She knew that they needed to get changed soon but she just couldn't resist Paige, school could wait a bit.

* * *

"I'm so tired" Aria said rubbing her eyes frantically as she rested her elbows on the table. Paige was sat next to her smiling brightly as she observed the girl. They were a bit early in class, Paige had thought that after her shower time with Emily they were going to be really late but actually there were just a few girls already in class besides them.

"Long night?" Paige asked

"I had to finish a damn paper for Biology"

"You hadn't done it yet?" Paige asked. Aria killed her with a glare

"You irritate me" She muttered

Paige laughed "Why?" She asked

"You're just so perfect always…"

"I'm far from perfect" Paige replied. Aria smiled at her

"Yeah right, you fuck our teacher" The girl said in a low voice as she let out a laugh

"Aria!" Paige said "Why the hell do you have to bring back that issue in every conversation?"

"It's my way of taking revenge for all these years of you being the perfect student while I had to suffer"

Paige rolled her eyes at her and let out a deep breath "You're really annoying sometimes"

"I know" Aria said happily "But… seriously talking right now" She started with a serious tone "You have no idea of how glad I am to see you so happy, I don't know what that woman is doing to you Paige, but ever since you started to date her you've been so changed, you smile every day again and you're definitely happier

Paige felt her cheeks blush and she let out a shy smile "She makes me happy" She said "I can't even explain it but every moment I get to spend with her is just… perfect"

"Who would've said that Paige McCullers could be so cheesy" Aria said jokingly

"What can I say? I'm in love" Paige beamed.

"Lucky you" Aria whispered

The door opened and a few boys stepped into the class followed by some other students that rushed to take their seats. Sydney arrived behind all of them completely out of breath and disoriented, she had overslept and she had ran all the way to the school.

She scanned the class and saw Paige and Aria as always sat together at the side of the class. She smiled brightly when she saw that the seat behind Paige was empty.

"Hi Paige" She said happily as she walked to her chair. Paige and Aria turned to look at her; Paige with a polite smile and Aria with a hard expression.

"Hey Syd" Paige said turning around to face her "Everything okay? You seem tired"

"I didn't hear my alarm" Sydney said slightly embarrassed

"Well, you're lucky that the teacher hasn't arrived yet" Paige said offering a smile.

"Yeah, our teacher always arrives late" Aria said in a suspicious rude tone. Paige eyed her discretely as if she was silently asking her to calm down.

She was aware that Aria did not like Sydney, or at least she did not liked the way she was always following them. It was really obvious for her that Sydney had a massive crush with Paige; she could see it in the way the girl looked at her friend, always with puppy eyes, and she always found some lame excuse to go and talk to her.

It seemed as if the only one that didn't realize that was Paige.

Paige was completely oblivious to this fact. She liked Sydney, they were good friends, and that was all, she had no clue that the girl was head over heels for her and that she always tried to be near her. That was why Aria was so cold to her.

Fortunately, the teacher arrived and they focused in the class; Paige turned around discretely and offered a warm smile to Sydney. In the end she didn't deserve Aria's rudeness.

Sydney blushed profusely and looked down in embarrassment when she saw Paige's perfect smile only for her; she had the most beautiful smile and Sydney couldn't help but grin stupidly at the sight.

* * *

The bell rang, the doors of the classrooms opened, and a crowd of students rushed down the corridors to have a break.

Emily exited the teacher's room quickly and walked along with the rest of the students as she headed to the cafeteria, she was supposed to meet Spencer there, apparently Spence wanted to talk to her or something so she was waiting for her.

In her way to the big area she noticed a few girls hanging creepy posters all along the lockers and giving some flyers to the people passing by. One girl approached her and handed one to her with a big smile.

"What's this?" Emily asked as she eyed the flyer. The girl pointed to the title

"The Halloween party Ms. Fields" She said before continuing with her task.

Emily had completely forgotten about it; Halloween was in a week or so… she had been so engrossed with the issues going on in her life that she had forgotten the party.

She walked quickly and finally reached her destination; Spencer was already sat at one of the tables engulfing a salad and a piece of bread.

"Hey" She said as she sat, she placed her bag at the side of the chair and grabbed the small bag where she kept her food. A medium sized turkey sandwich and an apple.

"Everything okay?" Spencer asked to a mouthful of food. "I've been waiting for you, but I was hungry, so I started eating" She said apologetically

"Yeah" Emily said "I'm fine, just a bit stressed"

"I know, in less than a month we start with the heavy exams" Spencer said

"Ugh, let's change the subject" Emily mumbled

"Okay… how about the stupid Halloween party?" Spencer asked sarcastically, she had seen the flyer Emily left on the edge of the table when she sat. "Do you know what you're going to wear?"

Emily eyed her with a hint of confusion in her eyes… wear? She wasn't even sure if she wanted to go to the party, she wasn't a party girl, not anymore at least.

"Uh… I don't know" She mumbled. Spencer swallowed her food and smiled

"You should start thinking about it"

"Do we have to come?" Emily asked

"Yeah, we do. That's the shitty part of this job, we have to come here and make sure that these kids don't do anything stupid"

Emily sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose as she meditated the information; now she had to think about what to wear to the stupid party and worry all night about the teens. What a great plan.

When she opened her eyes again feeling a bit more positive, she looked past Spencer; her friend was drinking a huge sip of water and behind her, a few tables from them, there was Paige.

It was a vision Emily never got tired to see, the more she saw Paige, the more she liked her, and she found her more beautiful every day.

Emily couldn't help but remember what they did that same morning under the shower; she could still feel Paige's soft skin under her fingertips, her slim perfect body, her lips…

Her eyes followed the girl's steps that seemed to rush along the cafeteria to one of the tables placed on the corner.

She stopped next to one of the chairs and seemed to wait for something. Emily's smile disappeared from her face when she realized that the weird girl that was always following Paige was sat there.

She didn't really like the way that girl looked at her girlfriend, she had seen her a few times in her classes glancing at Paige discretely or following her around. Emily definitely didn't like that.

And there was Paige, standing next to the table where Sydney was sitting while eating an apple and reading a book.

"Is this seat taken?" Paige asked feeling stupid for asking such an obvious question. Sydney was sitting alone there; it was obvious that there was no one there.

"No" The girl responded retiring her gaze from the book she was reading. As long as she raised her head, she found Paige's deep brown eyes looking at her as she offered a smile.

"Can I sit?"

Sydney smiled nervously and nodded; Paige placed her bag on the floor and took a sit next to her.

She was still asking herself why she was there with Sydney, she hadn't really thought too much about what she was doing. It wasn't as if they talked a lot, Sydney was a good girl and was a nice friend but they never really talked more than a normal conversation.

But somehow Paige felt guilty, she had been feeling a bit bad for the girl since Aria was rude to her that morning; Paige had noted that Sydney was a bit sad that day and she felt bad for her when Aria was so mean.

So after her last class, all Paige could think to do was to go and talk to Sydney and maybe try to cheer her up.

"What brings you here?" Sydney asked finally breaking the silence. Paige took a moment to think about it.

"I don't know… I guess I just wanted some company"

"You're not having lunch with Aria?" Sydney asked

"She's at the library" Paige said "She had to check a few books to finish a paper for her English class"

"Oh…" Sydney mumbled, so Paige was there just because she didn't want to be alone? Or maybe she just wanted to talk to her…

"Is… is everything okay?" Paige managed to ask. Sydney arched an eyebrow and swallowed

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, it's just that you seem a bit sad today, you always talk to me between classes, and you didn't today, plus you arrived late this morning"

"I overslept" Sydney rushed to say, Paige eyed her curiously as if she was waiting for her to keep talking. So she did "Rough night I guess"

Paige bit the inside of her cheek "Want to talk about it?" She asked timidly, she didn't really know if Sydney was going to react well at the question but she seemed to okay with it.

"My parents are getting a divorce" Sydney blurted out suddenly "Or at least that's what they said"

Paige remained silent for a few seconds; she wasn't expecting this, and definitely she didn't know what to say, Sydney looked down visibly upset, as if she was holding her tears and then swallowed.

"Syd… I'm sorry" Paige managed to say finally. Sydney offered a half smile as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"It's fine, I mean… it's not like it's the end of the world"

"No, but it has to be difficult to cope with all this on your own" Paige whispered.

Sydney felt a pressure in her chest as she talked about this; she had been all night crying and now she felt as if she was going to start again, but somehow, Paige's presence calmed her.

"I can't focus on this now anyways" She said quickly "I have to do my best this year, we have meetings and exams and…"

Paige placed a hand on Sydney's arm and let out a smile, she understood the girl's feelings in some way, in the end she knew how it felt to have pressure and having to deal with it.

"I'm fine" Sydney said before Paige could say anything "Maybe not as fine as I wish, but it'll pass"

The bell rang signaling the end of the lunch time and everyone started to grab their things and head to their classes. Paige and Sydney reminded there a few more seconds, Paige felt bad for the girl; she wanted to help her somehow but didn't know how… Sydney stood up and before she could walk away Paige stood up abruptly and grabbed her by the arm.

"Wait…" She said "Just remember that I'm here, in case that you want to talk or something, I'm here"

Sydney smiled at her and looked down sadly; that's what she liked so much about Paige, how extremely cute and lovely she was, she always was there for her, and the saddest part was that unfortunately she was not in the way Sydney wanted her, but at least she had her friendship.

In a quick movement, before neither girl could really realize what happened, Sydney leaned forward and deposited a soft kiss on Paige's cheek. The action was so unexpected and so quick that both girls reminded silent for a brief second; Paige surprised and Sydney embarrassed.

"Thanks" Sydney mumbled; she needed to go and hide somewhere.

Paige nodded and watched the girl walk away with rushed steps. She felt a bit weird for a moment, she wasn't expecting that. But in the end it wasn't a big deal, Sydney must be grateful for her help.

The thing was that maybe from Emily's angle things didn't seem so easy; the woman was standing now by the table. As soon as she and Spencer heard the bell they gathered their stuff and stood up ready to head to class again.

And that's when Emily saw it; and an intense rage ran through her body. Deeper in her thoughts she knew that it was not so important; that girl just kissed Paige on the cheek, but the thing was that Paige was her girlfriend, she was hers and Emily didn't really like the image of another girl kissing her girlfriend, even if it was just a small kiss.

She pressed the books she was holding against her chest hard and clenched her teeth in anger; she had to calm down before doing anything. She was aware of how irrational she was when she was jealous and even if she didn't want to admit it to the rest of the world, she was really jealous.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer's voice brought her back to planet earth. Emily watched as Paige left the cafeteria without noticing her and when she disappeared through the door Emily released a deep breath.

"Yeah" She said finally

"Okay, let's go" Spencer said completely oblivious to Emily's inner turmoil. The woman's mind was racing faster trying not to explode right there.

She hated when jealousy blinded her; in fact it was jealousy the thing that ruined her life in the first place…

Spencer was rambling about the Halloween party issue, she was happily telling Emily about the costume she was planning to wear, something about a crazy scientific or something like that. Emily wasn't paying attention to her though, she couldn't.

The corridor was crowded now that everyone was heading to their respective classrooms; Emily stumbled with a few students on her way as she followed Spencer; until finally they both parted ways.

As she headed to her class with first year she caught a glimpse of Paige; the girl was standing next to the lockers as she waited for Aria; the petite girl seemed to be talking about something and Paige was listening intently.

They both made brief eye contact; Paige smiled brightly at the sight of her gorgeous, amazing girlfriend her face lightened up immediately, but then she saw Emily's expression.

Emily was trying with all her strength to not seem upset, she knew she had no reason for it but she failed to show the same excitement as Paige, and the girl noticed it.

Aria finished whatever she had been doing and nudged Paige to follow her; Paige looked at Emily one more time, her expression was still troubled and a bit dark; something was definitely wrong with her.

* * *

In the middle of the PE class, Paige was sat on the gym floor panting heavily after a long run; the teacher was explaining the next exercise consisting in something that involved jumping. But Paige's mind was somehow somewhere else; she had been worried since she saw Emily before and noticed her dark expression, she didn't really know why but Emily seemed to be mad at something.

Without thinking about it twice, she stood up in a quick movement and walked to the teacher discretely. The man stopped talking for a second and listened at Paige's petition to go to the bathroom.

Once she got permission, she ran out the gym rapidly and in just a few minutes she was once again in the large corridor of the main floor.

Emily didn't have class now, she knew it; she remembered Emily's schedule pretty well and she had a free hour until the next class. So the only thing Paige had to do was find her.

The truth was that she didn't really know what she was going to say, she only had a few minutes until her PE teacher would start suspecting something, but she needed to talk to Emily. Paige didn't know when she could see the woman again since her parents must had arrived that same morning to Rosewood and she will have to spend some time with them.

Her steps echoed along the large empty corridor as she made her way to find Emily; she entered in a few empty classes carefully trying not to make much noise, then she walked upstairs to the first floor and checked the teacher's room discretely failing to find the woman.

She was about to give up when she realized that maybe Emily could be already in her next classroom, she did that sometimes, that way she didn't need to move when the bell rang.

Paige ran quickly trying to remember where Emily had class next period and finally, after a few minutes she succeeded in her search.

She opened the door slowly peering inside carefully and fortunately, she saw her; Emily was sat by the desk, with both legs on the table in a not so feminine way as she held a book between her hands.

"Hey" Paige's husky voice interrupted the silence in the room startling Emily, who released the book quickly and sat correctly in less than a second thinking that she had been caught.

"Paige" She mumbled once she recognized the figure stepping through the door.

Paige closed the door behind her making sure no one was around and then took a few steps closer until she was near the desk. Emily stood up slowly and felt the need of hugging the girl tightly or kiss her maybe; but she didn't do anything.

"What are you doing here?" She asked instead "Weren't you in class?"

"I had to go to the bathroom" Paige answered

"And you came here?" Emily laughed nervously.

Paige crossed her arms over her chest and let out a soft smile, Emily was a bit strict with their rules, maybe sometimes she acceded to break them but she knew that the woman wasn't going to be happy with this, in the end they had the risk of being caught.

"I had to see you"

"We already talked about this…" Emily started; Paige raised her hand making her stop.

"I know, and I am not going to break any rule, I just wanted to know if you were okay"

Emily bit her lip in embarrassment, obviously Paige had to know that something was wrong with her, Paige always knew. And she felt like a five year old child for being so affected by the jealousy.

"Yeah… I'm fine, why wouldn't I?" She asked dismissively.

"You seemed upset before, you still seem upset now actually" Paige pointed out.

Emily frowned slightly, she didn't want to talk about it, it was stupid, she couldn't be jealous, and Paige couldn't know it.

"I'm not upset" she said dismissively. Paige eyed her from her spot, she didn't believe her, for the woman's body expression it was obvious that something was up.

She took a few steps forward in a slow motion until she was in front of Emily; in these situations she always thought that there was something about Emily that she didn't know, it was a sensation she had; it was maybe the look, a trouble expression in the woman's eyes, or maybe the way she just acted so strange but she knew that things weren't okay.

Emily felt the need to punch something; she felt stupid, and childish, a 28 year old woman shouldn't be jealous of some teenage girl… but here she was.

She crossed her arms in a protective way over her chest and swallowed heavily while her gaze travelled discretely to the floor.

Paige was just a teenager, but she sure looked like an old woman sometimes, she seemed to be much older when she looked at her like the way she was looking at her now. It was as if she was looking inside of her soul.

"Paige, you should go back to class" Emily mumbled trying to sound serious.

Paige smiled; a soft smile but that burned Emily's insides in a second; she approached her even more until Emily was trapped between the desk and Paige's body.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on" Paige said

Emily sighed, the proximity of their bodies was making her tingle and nervous at the same time. Paige looked at her concerned and then took the last step, until there was no distance between them.

"Paige…" Emily whispered without energy, Paige grabbed her hands carefully and pulled them until they were no longer crossed over Emily's chest; then she placed her hands on the woman's hips slowly and approached their bodies more.

Emily closed her eyes, Paige's mouth was so close to hers that she could already feel her soft lips and the touch was making her dizzy. Paige's hands slid slowly under Emily's shirt until she could touch the soft flesh there and then she connected her lips slightly to Emily's neck.

The contact was brief at first, making Emily shiver and moan in response, and then she repeated the action, but this time she let her lips linger around the skin, going from her neck to the back of the ear.

"You're not mad at me, aren't you?" Paige asked in between kisses and bites. Emily was completely zoned out as she enjoyed the moment.

"Why would I be mad at you?" She asked in a mumble.

"I don't know" Paige said "But you know you can trust me"

Emily nodded as Paige pulled apart a bit to look at her, she looked hurt, and a bit offended; it was something pretty normal, Emily should tell her in order to fix everything, in the end it wasn't as if it was something really severe.

But she couldn't for some reason she couldn't manage to tell her; the girl kissed her again, her soft lips lingered against hers and Emily moaned in pleasure, she felt bad for Paige; because there she was, being all cute and worried about the situation and yet Emily was annoyed.

Because yes, she was annoyed, and mad and not just at Paige… it wasn't Paige's fault… it was the other girl who kissed her girlfriend… but it was an innocent kiss, it probably didn't mean anything.

As Emily's brain ran wild thinking about everything, Paige's kisses had become more passionate, she made Emily take a step back until they collided against the desk.

"Paige stop" Emily pleaded. As much as her body wanted to give in, she knew that they had to be careful

Paige opened her eyes and stopped the kissing realizing what they were doing; her reaction was to let out a laugh as she separated a bit, but the smile in her face disappeared once she saw Emily's expression.

There they were again; Emily being all mysterious about something and Paige having to deal with not knowing.

"Em…"

"You should go back to class" Emily said. At first she expected Paige to argue back, maybe even to get mad at her as she always did when Emily treated her like that but she didn't.

Paige pulled back gently nodding her head and then offered a small sad smile that broke Emily's heart. Then as she had been asked she exited the classroom and headed to her class leaving Emily alone and feeling like crap.

"Fuck" She mumbled as she slammed her fist against the desk.

 _1 Year ago_

Emily stormed into the apartment slamming the door hard behind her and taking her jacket off with rage and frustration, she was angry, sad, and really, really tired of this.

Everything was starting to become so hard, and so difficult, and today had been a proof that she seriously needed to change something. Behind her, the door opened once again, but with less fury. Emily didn't turn around; she rubbed her forehead fiercely and exhaled deeply as she tried to find some words.

"Em" A calmed voice sounded behind her and a hand reached her shoulder. Emily didn't calm though, she moved away roughly and turned around facing a surprised ginger girl.

"NO" She yelled in pure anger "Don't Em me"

The ginger girl was out of words, Emily's face was red and she was at the verge of tears and probably at the edge of a heart attack too.

"You have to calm down" The ginger girl said

"How in the hell do you want me to calm down after what you did?!" Emily yelled again.

"What I did?" The girl said sarcastically in response.

Emily sighed deeply, very deeply; she rubbed her temples not knowing what else to say and then felt her eyes filling with tears.

"I lost my job" She said finally with sadness and hurt "You made me lose my job" She corrected

The girl in front of her exhaled a soft ironic laugh and crossed her arms over her chest in defense.

"You'll find another one" She said simply.

"Another one? Are you serious? Yeah of course I could find a new job so you can make get me fired AGAIN"

There was a silence. A silence filled with a strange tension; Emily felt the urge to kick something and to cry and yell until she was out of strength, and in the other side, the girl in front of her seemed really calmed… suspiciously calmed.

"That girl was hitting on you" The ginger said sharply.

"Jen… no one was hitting on me!" Emily replied "She's a friend"

"I didn't like the way she touched you"

"You can't be serious" Emily said.

But very deep in her soul she knew that it was a very stupid thing to say; she knew that her girlfriend was serious, it was not the first time that something like this happened and Emily feared that it won't be the last.

She bit her lip in frustration as she tried to comprehend the situation so maybe she could find a solution. But she couldn't.

How could something that started as cute, simple and amazing have turned into a living hell?

That question was pounding hard in Emily's brain as she tried to calm herself. Because when she met Jen at that small bar and when they started to see each other everything seemed perfect.

That girl seemed to be the answer to all her problems; she helped her to get over her breakup with Maya, she helped her to be open to love again and then… it all turned into something weird and complicated.

Being with Jen was like working with dynamite, Emily never knew when she could explode and cause a real mess or not.

"No Em, I am very serious. Don you think I didn't notice how you looked at her?" Jen asked bitterly.

Her light green eyes were deep dark as she looked at Emily; her gaze, always so calming and beautiful was now hard and full of judgement and anger. The dynamite was warming up. Emily felt a strange sensation of fear at the words, the seriousness Jen was using was scary.

"For the love of god… I don't even like her, she's just a friend" Emily said. The ginger girl swallowed and ran a hand slowly through her hair.

"That's not what it looked like" She said. Her voice had changed, she didn't sound angry anymore, but Emily knew that she was just pretending.

"You can't just think that everyone around me wants something with me and the other way around" Emily said "I'm with you and…"

"Yes, you're with me, and that's why I don't want any bitch around you" Jen said bitterly

"She's not a bitch"

"Oh, so you're defending her now… did you guys sleep together Em? Did you fuck her?"

"NO!" Emily felt her cheeks burning in anger. "How can you think that?"

"I saw you" Jen said

"That's bullshit and you know it" Emily protested

The ginger girl sighed and walked past her trying to end the argument. Emily didn't know what was happening exactly but she wasn't going to let this go; not this time, Jennifer had done something really severe making her lose her job and she had to understand that.

"Jen, stop ignoring me" Emily pleaded as she followed her girlfriend through the small corridor of their apartment until they arrived to the living room.

"Jen!" Emily grabbed the woman's arm trying to get her attention "Stop acting like a child…"

In that moment, everything happened in slow motion, or at least for Emily it did. Jen turned around abruptly and visibly angry; the rage in her eyes was scary and the force she used to turn around pushed Emily hard until she fell onto the floor.

Emily found herself sat on the carpet of her living room, disoriented and with a ginger woman looking at her heavily as if she was about to hit her… it was so weird… this never happened before, Emily never experienced this before.

"This conversation is over!" Jen yelled as she took a step back.

And with that she turned around as if nothing happened and walked to the room slamming the door with so much force that it shook the entire wall.

Emily reminded sat, and scared, her body was shaking in fear, but also in frustration… what the hell had happened?

She managed to stand up as quickly as she could and sat on the nearest armchair trying to calm down. Jen was not like that, her girlfriend was not violent, this had to be a mistake… maybe she was just tired or something.

It was just a jealousy attack, Jen loved her, she would never hurt her…

* * *

 _Present day_

A tear rolled down Emily's cheek. She had promised herself that she was going to stop crying over this in order to remain strong but the memories were sometimes so strong that she just couldn't fight against them.

She was leant against her desk, arms crossed protectively against her chest and now, unfortunately she was sobbing.

Her life in California was over, she had left behind every bad memory and all the things that hurt her, it was hard but she did it; she was supposed to be free now that she was far from everything, but she didn't feel that way.

In fact Emily felt more trapped than ever; it was as if as much as she tried, the memories still hunted her, no matter what she did, her past was always behind her.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. Jealousy was a bomb in her past; it destroyed everything, it made everything harder and more painful and today she had experienced it.

Emily had experienced that sensation of jealousy that she had been avoiding. Paige couldn't know this, she couldn't hurt Paige; Emily was not like that.

Was she?

The door of the classroom opened next to her; Emily immediately cleared her throat and wiped the tears from her eyes trying to hide her sadness.

Ezra popped his head inside of the classroom; he was smiling brightly, then he pushed the door opened and stepped inside. Emily looked at him as she held her sobs; he was carrying two cups of coffee and seemed to be very jovial.

"How's my favorite teacher doing?" He asked as he approached the desk.

Emily made the effort of talking but she had a massive lump in her throat so instead of words she just could swallow and sob silently.

Ezra eyed her curiously and then realized that Emily was crying. He put the two cups of coffee on the desk and approached Emily trying to find what to say.

"Hey… what's wrong?"

Emily had no strength to keep talking so instead she started sobbing again and threw herself against her friend, hugging him tightly as she cried in his shoulder.

Ezra didn't say anything else; he didn't need to, he knew how fragile the woman was, she might seem like she was okay, but he knew that deep inside Emily was still hurt, and it was no surprise for him to see her like this.

He just hugged her back, trying to make clear that he was there, because what Emily needed in that moment wasn't a speech about life, or an advice, she just needed someone, she just needed a friend… a shoulder to cry on.

* * *

The teacher's room was empty; it was a good thing since Ezra didn't want to give any explanations about what was happening. He had enough having to drag Emily along the corridor without anyone seeing them so a little bit of privacy right now was more than welcomed.

He had warned the director; Emily wasn't in the best condition to give class so he just made an excuse about her being sick or something and asked another teacher to cover her class while Ezra took Emily to the empty room.

They stepped into the place and Emily went to sit in one of the couches, she felt like crap and probably she looked like crap too…

"Are you feeling better?" Ezra asked. He sat next to Emily and wrapped an arm around her trying to offer some comfort. Emily rested her head in his shoulder and exhaled deeply as she nodded.

"I guess" She said finally with a watery voice.

"This is because of…"

"I can't forget" Emily said cutting Ezra "I do my best to keep moving forward but every time I think that I am finally okay… the fucking memories just come back"

Ezra took a deep breath and turned to face her. He and Hanna were the only ones that knew about the living hell Emily lived in California, they helped her get out of there and he was the one trying to keep an eye on her to make sure she was well; and it was pretty obvious that Emily was still suffering over it. Only Ezra didn't really know the real reason why Emily was crying.

She wiped the strains of tears from her cheeks and sat straight as she tried to calm herself; Emily was not a mess right now because of her past, even though it had something to do… she was feeling like this because of her present. Because her stupidity had hurt the person she loved the most and she hated it.

And because she didn't want to be jealous; she didn't want to be that kind of person, she wanted to have a great relationship and not a toxic one.

And now she understood what Paige said about talking to someone about their relationship; because Emily needed to talk, and she wished that she could tell Ezra about it, he was not an expert but he sure could give her a great advice or something.

But probably telling him was a mistake, and he would hate her or treat her as a pervert and in the worst case, he could tell someone.

So the best was to keep the secret.

"She's in California" Ezra said interrupting Emily's thoughts "Jennifer is there and you're here, safe. That's all that matters"

Hearing that name made Emily cringe. She felt a lump in her throat forming again and a sharp pain in her stomach. That name was the beginning of all her problems… the cause of her pain…

"I know" She said "But it still hurts"

"Well, no one said that it was going to be easy, but you need to find a way to forget her" Ezra suggested

"Okay, then if you can find one you can tell me because I've spend a fucking year trying to do so and it didn't work" Emily replied sharply.

"Maybe you need a break"

"What do you mean?" Emily asked confused

"A break, you know… holidays, no work, no responsibilities…"

"I can't do that"

"Em, you really should consider it, it would do some good to you to be away from everything; maybe you could go to the beach or the mountains… be in contact with the nature always helps"

"That sounds great, but probably you're forgetting that I am an adult, and I have bills to pay, and I have to eat and in order to do such things I need money, and holidays doesn't give me money; work does, so…"

"I could pay…"

"Don't even mention it" Emily said.

It was no secret that Ezra had money, and not just a bit so he could live well; he really had money, that's why he could buy expensive cars, go to fancy restaurants and literally do whatever he wanted; and being completely honest, the idea of having vacations didn't sound bad to Emily… but she couldn't.

"I just want to help, I don't want to see you so sad"

"Ezra I don't need pity" Emily said quickly "I can manage my problems"

"Oh really? That's why you were sobbing like a child in the classroom?"

The words were sharp. Like a knife. Emily felt them right in her chest and Ezra regretted them as soon as he said them. But it was too late.

"Fuck… I'm sorry" He said. Emily swallowed, tears were forming again in her eyes but she wasn't going to let them out. "I shouldn't have said that"

"But you did" Emily mumbled "And I can't blame you for it actually… you're my friend after all"

"Look Emily, I only want to help you, because I know you very well and right know I know that you're not being yourself; I see how damaged you still are and I can't stand it"

"Healing is a process Ezra, you should know that"

"Yeah, but it's not an eternal process, and you need to start doing something"

Emily looked down; Ezra was right but at the same time he didn't know that Emily was actually better than a year ago; obviously he didn't know that that was because of Paige, and that the reason why Emily was a mess right now was because she had hurt her girlfriend again.

"Would you believe me if I said that I already started doing something?" Emily asked

"I don't have another choice" Ezra said "Can you at least tell me?"

Emily looked at him apologetically; she couldn't risk her relationship even though she knew how comprehensive Ezra was.

"Sorry" She said

"It's okay… And I tell you what" Ezra said with decision. Emily arched an eyebrow and looked at him

"What?"

"I won't ask you or push you to tell me anything but if I see you so upset again, or I see any indication that you're getting worse, I'll pay you a ticket to the Maldives or something and you will not argue with me"

Emily smiled, as threatening as it sounded it was a pretty good offer "Fine" She answered finally "But you're coming with me"

"Of course"

* * *

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Aria asked as she and Paige walked along the large corridor. Classes were over for the day, which was a great relief for Paige since all she wanted to do was go home and sleep.

She was glad that her parents weren't home, even though they probably will be there soon, but she could use some alone time to think and calm herself.

Her previous conversation with Emily had been a disaster; she thought that maybe after what happened yesterday they will be better or at least Emily will be more open to talk to her but it was obvious that it wasn't like that. And Aria knew that something was going on; Paige seemed upset or maybe mad… and she had to figure out what was happening.

"Everything's okay" Paige said dismissively as she kept walking. They were a few steps from the entrance door when Aria grabbed her by the arm pushing her back and forcing to look at her.

Paige stopped immediately and looked at her friend in frustration. Aria might be small but she sure was strong.

"That's bullshit an you know it" She said "You were okay this morning, and now you seem mad so what's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it" Paige said simply; she started to walk again. Aria sighed and followed her quickly.

"Oh, I get it. This is about Emily" She whispered only for Paige to hear. The auburn girl stopped again and crossed her arms over her chest

"Yes Aria, this is about Emily" She admitted

"What did she do?"

"Nothing…" Paige said; Aria arched an eyebrow "Really, she actually didn't do anything wrong… it's just that she was weird"

"Weird?" Aria said curiously "What does that mean?"

"I don't know Aria… she was weird it doesn't mean anything, I guess she must be having some problems or something"

The memories of Emily's nightmare and her mysterious secrets crossed Paige's mind; she understood perfectly that Emily needed time to be able to talk about it, but it drove the girl crazy to not be able to help her girlfriend even if she wanted.

"Did she tell you?"

"No… and that's what bothers me" Paige admitted "I wish I could do something"

"Something like what?"

"Paige!" Both girls turned their heads when a voice yelled next to them.

Liam was walking towards them, smiling politely and a little bit out of breath since he probably had run through the crowd of students to get to them.

"Liam, hey" Aria said slightly frustrated since she didn't get to talk to Paige properly

"Hey" Paige said not too excited

"I've been calling you for a while" Liam said looking at his sister. Paige then realized that she had her phone silenced and that she hadn't even bothered to check it since she went back to class after lunch.

"Did something happen?" She asked worriedly. Usually Liam didn't pick her up from school, he or Caleb gave her a ride in the mornings when she slept at their apartment; but that was all.

"I guess I'll go home" Aria said before Liam could answer

"Are you sure?" Paige asked

"Yeah… We'll talk later don't worry" Aria said, she leaned in and kissed Paige's cheek and waved her hand to Liam

"Bye Aria" He said as he waited for the girl to walk away

"Great, you made my friend go" Paige said

"I didn't do anything" Her brother defended

"What did you want to tell me?"

Liam smiled at her, Paige seemed upset with him but probably she was just pretending; he extended his hand asking her to give him her bag.

"Well, you are going to come with me" He said as Paige handed him the bag

"Why?"

"I don't want you to be alone in that big house so, you're coming with me"

They had stepped finally outside the school, Liam was starting to walk along the sidewalk when Paige stopped and waited for him to do the same.

"I'm not a kid anymore Liam, I don't mind being alone"

"I know sis; but I am your older brother and my job is to make sure you don't lock yourself in your room"

Paige looked down; he couldn't fight back her brother. Liam was insistent, and very stubborn when he wanted something and he had a very good point so her plans of being alone and think about life had just vanished.

"You seem stressed" He said "Come with me"

* * *

Paige looked at him confused as Liam grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way to his car. He didn't say much after that; they sat inside the car and Liam drove silently through Rosewood's thin streets until he arrived to their destination: the Brew.

Paige sighed deeply when she stepped out of the car, she needed all the strength she had inside to not seem even more upset now; so she did her best to put a fake but bright smile on her face to please her brother.

Liam seemed to be pretty good in the other hand; he was acting kind of like a real big brother right now, being all concerned about Paige and trying to cheer her up, which was cute but annoying at the same time.

"The Brew?" Paige asked finally as they started to walk towards the door. She tried to not think too much about the fact that Emily lived right there a few meters from there and that she didn't really want to see her right now.

"You always loved this place" Liam said opening the door for her.

They sat at the back, in one of the big, cozy loveseats that were next to the big windows. Liam ordered two big smoothies for them and then they just fell into a silence as they waited.

Paige didn't really know what her brother wanted from her, and if she was honest, she was a bit worried; because he seemed to be ready to talk about something important and Paige wasn't in the mood right now. So she tried to make herself busy, at least until the waiter returned with their orders; she grabbed a menu card and started eyeing it as she concentrated in the soft background music that was playing.

"Paige I…"

"Please tell me you're not going to lecture me or something" Paige rushed to say as soon as Liam started talking. Liam looked at her a bit surprised and breathed out a laugh.

"Of course I am not going to lecture you silly" He said "What did you think?"

"I don't know… it's just that you seem so… serious"

"Sorry" Liam said "But I don't want to lecture you"

"Then why are we here?" Paige asked confused. Liam made a pause before answering; he didn't really know how to say what he wanted without any drama.

"I spoke to dad" He said quickly. Paige then, realized what this was about and she sighed deeply. The waiter came back quickly with the two smoothies and placed them on the table.

The two siblings just looked at each other while the waiter finished and then they reminded silent for a moment.

"He's worried about you" Liam said again.

"Of course he is" Paige mumbled "Liam everything is fine…"

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't want to talk to anyone"

"Not even Pam?" Liam asked.

Paige felt a lump in her throat; Pam had been her shelter, her safe land for a long time, ever since she was a kid and she couldn't cope with her mom and Emily's departure, they had been inseparable. Pam was definitely one of the most important persons in Paige's life and lately she just had been pushing her away.

She was aware that probably Pam was upset with her, she visited her every week, sometimes she even stayed in her house for days, and now she couldn't even think about going there anymore.

The thing was simple she was betraying Pam; and not just that… she was lying to her; every time she saw Emily she was lying to Pam, because she was dating her daughter in secret.

And it hurt, because she didn't want to leave Emily, but in the other hand she didn't want to cause Pam any kind of pain.

"I didn't want to bother her"

"You've been telling her about every single problem at home for almost ten years… what changed?" Liam asked

"I was angry okay?" Paige admitted "And frustrated, and the only thing I wanted was to scream, and kick something so I just ran"

Liam arched an eyebrow "I guess mom has that effect"

"She is a fucking idiot sometimes" Paige mumbled.

"Remember that she's still our mother" Liam calmed her "So you ran… and did you run all the night or slept somewhere?"

"I ended up at Aria's" Paige lied. She had promised to herself that she was going to maintain the lying thing at minimum but she couldn't just tell her brother that she spent the night with Emily and that then they spent another night at their parent's house.

"Fine" Liam said; apparently he believed her. He took a big sip of his drink and eyed his sister for a moment.

Paige had to live with a lot of pressure since he and Cassie left the house; Claire was always hard on her, ever since she was a child, but the situation got worse when Cassie and Liam decided to live their own lives and leave her. So she put her expectations of having a child that followed her steps on Paige.

And Liam felt guilty, because he didn't do anything to really help Paige in the first place; his sister already suffered a lot when Cassie went to live in New York, he saw how things got worse between Claire and Paige and instead of doing something he just ran away from the house at the first opportunity.

He knew that Paige never blamed him, his little sister was too good to do so; but he felt terribly bad.

"So this is the end of your big brother moment?" Paige asked suddenly, she was in a better mood right now. Seeing Liam always changed her mood because he always found a way to make her smile and forget everything, they had grown up together so no one knew her better than him.

"What do you mean?" He asked

"You know, are you finished with the big brother mode? Or are you going to lecture me about anything else?"

"First of all, I wasn't lecturing you" Liam said, they both took a sip of their drinks at the same time "And second, I am always in a big brother mode"

"Yeah sure, like that time when you and Caleb got drunk and I had to drive you guys home to avoid an accident" Paige said

"That was only one time and we weren't that drunk…"

"You were passed out in the back seat and Caleb ended up throwing up inside the car, and let's not forget the fact that I was sixteen" Paige said smiling

"Well, that was the past" Liam said

"Yeah, now you only drink on the weekends"

"Exactly" Liam said with a bright smile "However… I guess my big brother moment isn't over"

"Ugh. What else?" Paige asked

"Look" Liam decided to do his best to be serious so he put the drink aside and looked straight into Paige's eyes "I know how bad things are between you and mom, and I guess it's not going to be better after what happened"

"I guess" Paige whispered

"As I said before, I spoke to dad and he agreed with me on something"

Paige raised an eyebrow curiously and looked at Liam expectantly; he was too serious to be making a joke and he was never serious so it had to be important.

"What?" Paige asked impatiently

"We both think that it would be better for you if you stayed with me and Caleb" Liam said finally "Just for a while, until things calm down or maybe until you finish the year I don't know"

"Am I dreaming?" Paige asked with surprise "Dad agreed on this?"

"Yes" Liam said

"And you agreed too?"

"Yes"

"Who came up with the idea?" Paige asked

"Me" Liam answered

"I thought you needed your own space"

"I did, but you could use some of that space too"

"And Caleb doesn't mind?" Paige asked

"Of course not, he adores you" Liam said laughing "I talked to him this morning and he is perfectly okay"

"I don't know… it's just…"

"You already have a room in our apartment, and you can still go home if you want to, what I am offering is just a place to be away from mom for a while… even if it sounds terribly bad but I guess it's not that bad in the end"

"Well, actually it's not a bad idea" Paige said after a moment of deep thinking

"Does that mean that you agree?"

"Yes" Paige said "I don't like the idea of leaving dad but I guess it's the best"

"I know but you have to promise me something" Liam said

"What?"

"That you're not going to ignore mom" He breathed out "I know that right now you don't really want to see her or be near her, but you have to fix things Paige; remember that she is your mother"

"I am going to need some time" Paige said

"I know, but just keep trying okay?" Liam asked. Paige eyed him and then nodded

"Let's make a deal"

"I'm all ears" He said

"I'll keep trying if you stop being in this weird big brother mode okay?" Paige said only half joking

"Hey! I am trying here, and Cassie does it really good"

"I know, but not everyone can be Cassie"

* * *

Emily stepped out of the building dressed up in a pair of sweats, a hoodie that covered her sleeveless shirt and her best sneakers.

She took a deep breath once she was on the street and checked her watch so she could count the time; she was ready to release all the adrenaline in her body, it was something she needed to do.

It had been a long morning; after her talk with Ezra she just needed to go home and rest… only she couldn't rest. Thinking about Jen was killing her, she couldn't think about her without feeling like she was going to have a panic attack and in the other hand there was Paige.

Thinking about Paige was just making her even more miserable so after a long hot shower and a bag of fries and maybe a few sandwiches she decided that staying at home wasn't going to be a good idea. It was still early; she went home before classes ended so by the time she decided to go for a run school might be finishing probably.

She put her clothes quickly, grabbed her ipod and went outside to get ready. The slightly cold air of October hit her face making her feel better instantly; she stretched out her body a few times and took a few breaths before start walking as she planned her route.

She had decided to run until she couldn't breathe anymore, she needed to burn all the energy and just go back home to sleep, that was what she needed and nothing was going to stop her…

Until two familiar faces came out of the Brew and as if someone had planned it she stood face to face with Paige.

Emily's heart was biting fast, she was speechless and probably, by the way Paige was looking at her, she was speechless too.

"Emily" Liam said nonchalantly "I didn't expect to see you here"

"Hey Liam" Emily said finally after a moment "I… didn't expect to see you guys here either"

"Yeah, we just came here to grab something to drink" He said. If Paige wasn't so submerged in her thoughts about Emily, she would've noticed the way Liam was looking at her girlfriend.

Emily was looking into Paige's eyes, probably trying to figure out if she was okay; and Liam was just contemplating the beauty of the woman he had before him.

'Even with sweatpants and a hoodie she still looks beautiful' he thought

"Maybe you could join us the next time" Liam said trying to create a conversation. Emily finally looked at him and swallowed. Paige was now looking away probably trying to avoid Emily's gaze.

"I would love to" Emily lied; she didn't know if having a drink with Paige and her brother was a good idea but she had to pretend.

"Okay then" Paige said finally, she looked at Emily and offered a small smile that told Emily that she was still upset with her "We were leaving"

"Paige, don't be so rude" Liam mumbled, he secretly just wanted Emily to stay longer.

"Yeah and I was about to go for a run so… I'll see you later" She said

With that, Emily put her earbuds on, picked up some nice song and started running as fast as she could until she disappeared from the sibling's gazes. Paige swallowed trying to not seem so upset in front of her brother and Liam just followed Emily's figure until she vanished in the distance.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon occurred without any incident. Liam drove Paige home and after a short nap they started to pack some things.

The idea of moving with Liam was great, but it wasn't something permanent; in the end that big house Paige was about to leave was still her home and she didn't want to just go forever. So basically she just packed a big suitcase with her clothes, obviously not all her clothes; she just packed the ones she used the most, her underwear, her shoes, her swimsuits, and then with Liam's help she packed some stuff in a few boxes.

She didn't really know how much time she was going to spend with her brother so she just packed the essential things for now; maybe in a few weeks she would come back home or just pack the rest and leave forever… who knew.

Liam helped her carry the boxes and the suitcase outside and then she just stood in the middle of her room for a while; she was going to miss her dad; that was for sure. Obviously she was not going to the other end of the world, and she could see him, but it wouldn't be the same; but she needed space.

Paige grabbed one of the empty boxes her brother had found around and filled it with some books; her room in Liam's apartment was not really decorated, it had a few posters and shelves, but nothing else.

So she packed a few books, her favorites, she loved to have them with her; then she put on the box a few pictures she had in her desk and a few framed pictures she had hanging on the wall; they were like her little treasure.

And with all that packed she walked downstairs quickly and exited the house to put the box in the car.

Liam was talking over the phone in the back yard, probably he had been waiting for Paige there and someone called, so Paige was just going to wait for him inside of the car. But as soon as she started walking to the vehicle, a figure approached her quickly.

"Paige" Pam called her. Paige stopped immediately and turned around feeling guilty for some reason.

"Pam… hey" Paige said finally. Pam didn't think about it twice, she just leaned in and hugged the girl tightly; then when she pulled apart she realized that she was carrying a box and that Liam's car was parked next to them with the trunk opened with more boxes inside.

"What are you doing?" Pam asked confused.

Paige's heart literally broke into pieces as she heard the question. She wasn't going very far actually; but probably in other circumstances Pam would've been the first person to know what she was doing, but it wasn't the case…

"I am… moving to Liam's apartment"

"What?" Pam sounded surprised, but not extremely surprised, probably this was something she had expected "Is this because of what happened the other night?"

Paige arched an eyebrow "You know?"

"Liam told me" Pam said "He wanted to know if you were with me"

Paige was used to judgment, she knew how to deal with it and even more after she came out of the closet and had to deal with lots of judgment even from close people; but the only person in the world that never had judged her was Pam.

No matter what had happened in her life, Pam had been always by her side defending her and comforting her. That was why Paige loved her so much; she was the friend she needed, the mother she'll never have and her shelter. So Paige wasn't surprised when she found no judgement in Pam's eyes.

But she felt terribly bad when she saw hurt and disappointment. Pam was upset, and she had every right to be; in the end she cared for Paige as if she was her child and now she knew that Paige just ignored her and put her aside.

"I'm sorry" Paige tried to apologize "I wasn't feeling so well and…"

"Why didn't you come to me?" Pam asked "You know my door is always open to you"

Paige made a silence; she had no excuse actually, and Pam knew it "I needed to be alone" She said finally; at least that was not a lie

"I understand" Pam said after a pause "You must've been really upset"

Paige nodded trying to maintain her composure, she placed the box on the floor and rubbed her forehead.

"I was angry" She confessed "And sad and fucking frustrated and the only thing I could do was run"

Pam eyed her; she was about to break, Paige's eyes were red and her lip was quivering softly as she spoke. Pam stood there listening without saying anything.

"I felt lost" Paige mumbled.

She finally decided to let herself go and she started crying; it was what she needed, only she didn't really allowed herself to do it before. She started sobbing covering her face at first.

Pam's heart broke for her; and she knew what Paige needed, she approached her slowly and grabbed the girl's arms uncovering her face. Then she just trapped her in a tight hug that Paige returned immediately.

And they stayed there for a long time. Paige didn't count it, but it must've been more than ten minutes.

Paige buried her face in Pam's shoulder, and the woman rubbed her back gently while she cried.

"That's it" She said after a while "Just let everything out"

Pam's soft whispers were calming, and Paige allowed the words to comfort her as they always did. And finally, within the minutes, she managed to calm down.

"Hey Paigey; guess who just closed an important business" Liam said cheerfully as he exited the house. He walked a few steps with a smile until he realized that Paige and Pam were hugged and that his sister was crying.

They broke the hug finally and Paige turned to face him as she wiped her tears "Congrats" She said "I'm glad for you"

"What happened?" He asked worriedly

"Paige just needed a moment to talk" Pam said smiling. Paige smiled back at her

"I'm fine" She assured Liam "I'm definitely better than before"

"So I don't need to worry about you crying right now?"

"No" Paige said offering a small smile

"Thanks" He said looking at Pam "I don't know what you do but you're like the only person who knows how to make my sister feel better"

"She just needs someone who listens" Pam said

"I'm trying to get better at it" Liam mumbled

"Okay, why don't you come with me?" Pam asked after eyeing Paige. She definitely seemed to be better, but Pam knew that she could use some nice dinner.

"Are you inviting us for dinner?" Liam asked happily

"Of course, Paige is going to be living with you so I guess she could use a real dinner before you feed her with junk food" Pam said as they started to walk

"I can cook" Liam argued

"Yeah, you make great sandwiches" Paige laughed

"You are going to sleep on the couch!" Liam said offended as they walked to Pam's house.

* * *

Ezra was in Emily's living room with the remote in a hand as he changed channels randomly and a beer can in the other. Emily was in her room trying to decide if the dress she was wearing was too much or not.

It was a blue dress, it was short and tight, and she was starting to think that it wasn't what she needed to wear that night. This was the fifth dress she tried on, and she was staring to get sick of it, Ezra had just put some dark jeans and a nice shirt and he was dressed perfectly and Emily was having serious doubts about her outfit.

She actually didn't want to be too dressed up for the night, but she didn't want to go out in just a pair of jeans, so in a quick movement she took of the dress and opened her closet again.

"The pub is going to close!" Ezra yelled from the living room

"Shut up!" Emily answered

They were going to go out for the night; Emily wasn't really in the mood to party but Ezra had convinced her that she needed some fresh air and to relax for at least one night so she decided to say yes even though right now she was having serious doubts about it; she just wanted to call Paige, talk to her and maybe see her so she could apologize properly.

Before regretting her decision and tell Ezra to leave her alone; Emily finally picked up a dress, she decided to not go out with something too fancy so she just put on a simple black dress, it was not too tight so she felt more comfortable.

"Finally" Ezra said when Emily came out of the room

"We can go now" She said. Ezra turned the TV off and stood up

"It was about time… I thought you were going to be for ages in there"

"I didn't know what to wear" Emily said "Is this okay?" She asked after a pause.

Ezra looked at the dress, then he looked at Emily and looked at the dress again; he didn't really know what he should say.

"I should take this long silence as something bad?" Emily asked worriedly

"Of course not" Ezra said quickly "You're perfect, yeah completely perfect… even though we're not going to a funeral darling, but it's okay"

Emily slammed his shoulder hard, and then when Ezra was complaining about it she slammed his other shoulder with equal force.

"Idiot" Emily mumbled as she started to walk towards the room again. Ezra suddenly ran in front of her blocking her.

"Okay, it was a joke" He said "I was being serious when I said that you were perfect"

"Maybe I need some more color" Emily said

"No you don't"

"But you're right… we're not going to a funeral"

"Em, it's okay; we're not going to the Oscars ceremony either, whatever you decide to wear is going to be fine; I'm sure plenty of cute girls will fall for that dress of yours" Ezra said

"That's the thing… I don't want to talk or flirt or do anything with anyone" Emily confessed "Maybe that's why I don't really want to dress up too much"

"I see" Ezra breathed out

"I know that you want to help me, and that you want me to move on with another girl soon but I don't want that" Emily said obviously this was only half true since she had found a girl already "I just want to go out and have fun without thinking about love or sex or anything"

"Okay" Ezra said. Emily frowned

"Okay? That's all? You always insist"

"I know, but you're right. I want to help you" Ezra said "And that means that even if want to see you in a happy relationship again and all that stuff I have to respect what you want so…"

He grabbed Emily's arm and guided her to the door.

"We are going to go for a walk"

"What about the pub?" Emily asked confused

"The pub is going to be there next week, it's not like there's only one night to go there. We can just go out as two friends that dressed up for the night and maybe eat in a restaurant or something"

Emily smiled, and it was not a fake smile; she felt sincerely relieved now that she knew that Ezra understood her and he was willing to do what she wanted.

The idea of being in a pub, surrounded by drunken people and having girls over her asking her to dance, or Ezra pushing her to talk to some girl was actually not the best idea right now; but the plan of going out to just have dinner sounded really good; it would do her some good to be with a friend and to be able to relax, rather than being home alone thinking about her life.

They went outside the building, Ezra didn't even bother to grab the car; they just started walking along the sidewalk talking quietly about life, and some other stuff.

Everything was going really great until Emily's phone beeped inside of her pocket.

* * *

Pam was pacing quietly around the kitchen as she read a book while she waited for the lasagna to be finished.

In the living room there was Caleb, sat on the couch going through his social media in his phone and next to him there were Liam and Paige, they were sat on the floor, their backs leant against the couch as they saw a gore movie that was on TV that night.

They were waiting patiently to the dinner to be finished; they had set the table before and after calling Caleb to ask him to join them they just sat there to wait. Pam said that it will take at least one more hour for the dinner to be ready so watching a movie was a great plan.

A particularly bloody scene was happening on the screen when the bell rang a few times. Paige, who had her face buried in his brother's shoulder jumped a bit scared and Liam just looked to the door's direction with confusion.

"Someone's calling" Caleb said without taking his eyes from the phone

"Can you open the door?" Pam yelled from the kitchen.

"Yes" Caleb said, although he didn't move at all.

Liam stood up looking at his friend who was submerged in some stupid youtube video; he grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it to Caleb with force.

Paige reminded sat watching the movie as she waited for Liam to come back.

When the door opened; Liam's jaw fell to the floor when he found Emily dressed up in a really, really sexy black dress.

"Hi Liam" Emily said happily "Twice in a day" She joked as she moved to hug him.

Liam got lost in Emily's scent; she smelled like something really sweet and fruity… He was going to close the door when another person stepped into the house.

"Hey" A tall man said extending his hand to him.

"Hi" Liam said confused

"I'm Ezra; Ezra Fitz"

"Liam McCullers" Liam said shaking his hand firmly. A secret feeling of jealousy ran through his body. Did Emily have a boyfriend now?

"Really nice to meet you" Ezra said politely as he eyed the house discretely.

"Emmy!" Pam said as she exited the kitchen.

Emily's face lightened up when she saw her mother running to hug her. She had to admit that she hadn't visited her as much as she wanted to.

"It's so good to have you here" Pam said kissing her cheek "And… you must be Eric"

"Ezra" Emily corrected quickly.

"I'm Ezra Fitz" Ezra said extending his hand to Pam, who obviously just hugged him.

"I'm so glad to have you here guys, go on and make yourselves comfortable" Pam said as she walked back into the kitchen.

As soon as they were alone, Liam approached Ezra trying to make some conversation with him; he needed to know everything about him and make sure he wasn't dating Emily.

Emily in the other hand just walked silently to the living room imagining who would be there. That was the reason why she thought about not going to her mom's house in the first place, after Pam called her to invite her for dinner she thought that it was a good idea, in the end she and Ezra hadn't found a place to eat yet; but when Pam mentioned that Liam and Paige were there she felt a lump in her stomach.

She didn't know if Paige was feeling better now, or if she would want to see her after what had happened that morning. But after thinking about it she just decided to go; she had to show Paige that she wasn't upset at her and that she wanted to fix things.

When she stepped into the living room, Caleb waved a hand to her and offered a smile before going back to his phone again. Paige was sat on the floor completely submerged in a movie; she heard steps behind and turned around.

Paige knew that Emily was there, she heard Pam calling her, and heard her talking to Liam when he opened the door.

She heard the steps behind her and took a deep breath; after all that had happened that day she wasn't upset with Emily anymore, actually she just wanted to talk to her and fix everything, in the end she promised her that she was going to give her time and that's what she needed to do. But it felt weird to talk to her right now.

Paige finally stood up, she turned around ready to face Emily and they made eye contact, and Paige's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Hey" Emily said approaching her. Her worries about Paige vanished now that she saw the girl clearly checking her out and trying to hide it.

"Hey" Paige repeated. Emily leaned in quickly and kissed her cheek; the contact was brief but it left both of them with tingles in their stomach.

"Paige McCullers" Ezra's voice came from behind. Paige turned around and saw the English teacher standing there.

For a moment she looked at him confused "Hi Mr. Fitz" She said

"You can call me Ezra… at least for tonight" He said smiling, then he just went to sit on the couch to continue the conversation with Liam.

"So…"

"I'm glad that you're here" Emily said cutting Paige quickly

"It's been a while since I visited Pam, and I kind of felt guilty about it"

"She loves having you around" Emily said

"She loves it when you come too"

"Yeah, I haven't seen her in a while either" Emily admitted

"I'm glad you're here" Paige said after a pause. The words were weak and almost a whisper; it was as if she was afraid of the answer. Emily looked at her a bit confused and then smiled.

"Really?" She asked

"Yes, I wasn't expecting to see you… it's a nice surprise"

"I thought you wouldn't want to see me after this morning" Emily confessed "You know… when…"

"I know. But that's in the past" Paige said

"I'm sorry though" Emily apologized "You don't deserve that and it seems as if I just keep hurting you over and over"

They were talking in a low voice, Emily looked around a bit concerned about the others noticing their closeness, so when it seemed as if Paige was going to kiss her, Emily took a small step back and they both cleared their throats.

Emily wished they could be alone right now; it would make talking much easier and probably it would be a better scenario to make things up.

"Dinner's ready" Pam yelled from the kitchen.

Emily smiled apologetically at Paige; she wanted to keep talking to her but she didn't want to risk everything so she decided to go to the kitchen to help her mother.

* * *

Pam was opening the oven and retiring the lasagna; Emily stepped into the kitchen and smiled at the scene. Her mother seemed like a ninja when she cooked, she made cooking seem so easy and funny.

"Emmy, good thing you came here, can you pass me that platter?" Pam asked.

"Of course" Emily did as she was told and then just observed her mother put the lasagna in the platter and decorate it a little bit.

It seemed as a miracle that after all these years of being away without a word Pam could still love Emily so much and even accept her again; sometimes it was as if nothing had happened there.

Pam seemed happier now, her eyes were sparkling and her smile was bright and sincere; Emily smiled at the thought of it. But that smile disappeared when she thought about her past, and how it was destroying her present little by little… she was still broken deep inside and Pam didn't know it.

Now that she was there looking at her, Emily felt the need of telling her mom everything. It would make things better; Pam always found a solution to everything ever since Emily was a little kid.

Pam found a way to build a new life for them after they left Wayne in Texas, she managed to help Emily through her puberty and put the pieces of her heart together whenever someone broke her heart. When Emily was younger she always thought that her mom was like a super hero and that she could just overcome everything.

But now she didn't really think that that was true. Pam couldn't help her, no one could; the situation was bigger than them, and Emily didn't want to get her mother involved in it. Pam couldn't see her so broken and so sad, not now that they were starting to be a family again.

"You know, I absolute love to be able to cook for so many people" Pam said as she turned around; the lasagna was already prepared to be brought to the table, but before it seemed like Pam wanted to use the little alone time she had with her daughter now.

"You always loved to cook" Emily said smiling

"It's very relaxing, and it's really cool to eat what I have cooked"

"I bet everyone here's going to love your lasagna"

"I hope so" Pam breathed out "Is your friend going to like it?" She aske

"Ezra?" Emily said "Of course mom, he pretty much likes everything"

"Okay, that's great…" Pam said and made a little pause "And just to be clear, he is a friend right?"

Emily looked at Pam wide eyed and without words; her mom seemed to be regretting the question already.

"Of course he is a friend"

"Yeah, don't mind me it's just that I saw you together before and…"

"Do you remember that I'm gay right?" Emily asked laughing at the situation

"Yes darling, and I have no problems with that, I just got too excited to see you with someone… which leads me to another question"

"I'm scared" Emily mumbled

"You're not dating anyone right?" Pam asked "It's not like we talked too much about this in the past but I am just curious"

"No mom, I am not really dating anyone"

"Really? Does that mean that there is someone already?" Pam asked, Emily slapped herself mentally for being so stupid; she couldn't exactly tell her mom that she was dating Paige.

"No, no… no I am still single" Emily said "My love life has been kind of complicated and I am just taking a time to be alone"

"Well that's good" Pam said offering a smile

"Yeah, good"

"Very good, as long as you are happy…"

"I am mom. I am happy"

"Then I won't ask any more uncomfortable questions" Pam said grabbing the lasagna "Let's eat!"

* * *

Dinner was beyond awkward, at least for Paige, she was sat between Liam and Caleb and unfortunately she had to be right in front of Emily.

Everyone seemed to be comfortable and having a good time; Ezra ended up being a funny person after all, he seemed to never stop talking and making jokes and Liam and Caleb just did the same. The only one that reminded silent most of the time was Emily; she was too occupied glancing at Paige from time to time, and it was making Paige uncomfortable.

She wanted to kiss Emily, to rip al her clothes right there, to f… she couldn't do anything because Pam was there; her brother was there, and Caleb… her non official brother was there too and the English teacher; she couldn't let them notice that she and Emily were together so that meant not looking at her and not thinking about her.

It was hard, Emily seemed to be doing everything on purpose and Paige was sure that she was trying to kill her; the way she ate and liked her fork after every bite, the way she drank and then eyed Paige suggestively, Emily wanted to kill her.

And when Pam brought the dessert Paige had almost a heart attack; she was eating her piece of cake silently, trying to ignore Emily's dirty looks, and then she felt something touching her leg.

She almost jumped from her chair but luckily she reminded quiet. Emily was in front of her smiling innocently as she ran her foot along Paige's leg; the girl was wearing jeans so the contact wasn't skin to skin but she got tingles anyways.

Liam was telling a story about a client he and Caleb had a few days ago; Pam was checking if everyone had finished to pick up the plates and Emily's foot was on its way up.

Paige's breath was trapped in her lungs, she couldn't breathe as she felt the foot pass her knees and slid between her legs.

"Paige" She heard Pam calling her and turned her head a bit confused "Did you finish?"

Paige looked at her plate and then looked at Pam apologetically, she still had half piece of cake there, but she wasn't hungry anymore.

"Yes" She handed Pam the plate

"Are you okay honey? You seem a bit flushed"

"I'm fine…" Paige said

Emily smiled devilishly; it was really childish to tease Paige like that, but it was really cute to see her worried about not being caught.

When Emily's foot touched the area between Paige's legs the girl just jumped from her chair, her cheeks were bright red and she seemed about to die from a heart attack.

Liam and Caleb looked at her surprised and Ezra arched his eyebrows "Everything okay?" Caleb asked

"Yeah, I have to go to the bathroom" She said before storming out of the living room.

"Wow" Ezra mumbled to a mouthful of cake "She's intense"

"Don't mind her, she's been always like that" Liam said dismissively

* * *

Paige was locked in the bathroom; her body leant against the sink as she washed her face repeatedly with cold water. She needed to calm down; her body needed to calm down and her heart needed to stop beating so fast.

She didn't really understand what the hell had gotten into Emily that night, but she was going to kill her.

She had been in there for at least a few minutes when someone knocked the door.

"Occupied" Paige yelled.

"Come on Paige, we both know you're not doing anything in there" Emily's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Paige didn't answer; she opened the door quickly and waited for Emily to step inside before locking the door again.

"You're going to get us caught!" Paige whispered frustrated "What the hell happened to our rules?"

"You look so cute tonight… I couldn't help it" Emily said

"Your mom is here" Paige said "And I don't want her finding out"

"Relax Paige, she doesn't know"

"Yeah, and it would be great if it could remain like this" Paige mumbled

Emily took a step towards Paige; the bathroom wasn't small but it wasn't really big either so in a few more steps Paige was trapped between the sink and Emily's body.

"I just needed to see you alone" Emily whispered, she was about to kiss Paige's cheek but then the girl pulled away quickly

"Okay… what does this mean exactly?" She asked confused

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this morning you were okay… more than okay actually and then when I tried to see you just for a while you were all weird and annoyed and you told me to leave; and now you just lock me in a bathroom knowing that your mom and my brother are in the house?"

Emily rubbed her forehead "I know… it sounds stupid and I am totally acting like an idiot but… I was jealous" She blurted out

"Jealous? Of what?" Paige asked with confusion

"Ugh I can't believe you don't know about it"

"About what?"

"Sydney? Your friend, the one that's following you around looking at you with puppy eyes and kissing you and…"

"Wait, this is all because of Sydney?" Paige asked

"I feel stupid already don't make it sound worse" Emily pleaded. Paige laughed softly

"Em" She said in a whisper as she placed both hands on Emily's waist pulling the woman close so their bodies were pressed together "I don't have any feelings for Sydney"

"Stop, you don't have to say anything" Emily said, Paige silenced her with a soft peck.

"She is a friend. I only have feelings for you"

"Why are you doing this?" Emily said trying to push Paige back

"Doing what?"

"Being cute… understanding, I mean, I was rude to you… again and instead of telling me to go to hell you're here"

"Well you locked me in here so I can't really be anywhere else" Paige said smiling "And you know being jealous is kind of a normal thing"

"I don't think so"

"It is, I am jealous, I hate to see you with other people and that stuff, but it's not that I let that feeling overcome me every day. But I think the next time you feel like this you should tell me"

Emily smiled shyly and looked down ashamed; she had been trying to hide how she felt since that morning and now that she heard Paige talk she knew that it would have been better to just tell her in that moment.

"Fine" She said.

She leant in to kiss Paige, it was not a desperate, anxious kiss as other times but it was a fierce one; Paige had her hands securely on Emily's waist and Emily had her hands on the girl's neck as they moved their lips against each other.

The idea of making out/ having sex in Pam's bathroom was really stupid; it was the worst thing they could do and it was really dangerous for both of them.

But in that moment neither girl seemed to care, at least not when Paige lifted Emily in one quick movement and sat her on the sink. She took a second to admire the dress… it had been driving her crazy all night and now she could do whatever she wanted.

"This looks so fucking sexy on you" She mumbled as she slid a hand under the garment on Emily's thigh.

"Really? I didn't really want to look sexy at all" Emily said trying not to moan too loud when she felt Paige's lips on her neck.

"That's ridiculous, you always look sexy" Paige said

"You see me that way" Emily laughed "Plus, I didn't want girls hitting on me all the time so…"

"What?" Paige asked confused

"Ezra wanted to take me to a pub" Emily said. Paige stopped kissing her for a second and looked at her

"What?" She asked again

"It's a long story, I didn't really have a choice" Emily said "But my mom called me, so we didn't go"

"It sucks" Paige mumbled

"Well he is my friend and is just trying to be nice"

"I know, but it sucks to not being able to tell people about us… to be hiding all the time"

"Yeah" Emily said; she cupped Paige's face with both hands and kissed her gently "But this situation is not going to be like this forever; when you finish high school we could tell everyone"

"I would love that" Paige said kissing her again

Emily trapped her between her legs and tried to pull her shirt up; Paige lifted her arms quickly and they both looked at each other once she was shirtless.

"I want you so bad" Emily mumbled as they started kissing again. This time they allowed their passion to burst out as they kissed harder and faster not caring about the consequences of getting too carried away.

Paige slid her hands under Emily's dress until she touched the soft flesh of the woman's hips making her moan in pleasure.

"We've been in here for too much time" Emily whispered as Paige kissed down her neck

"Fuck the time… I need you"

"You should come to my house tonight" Emily said suggestively

Then, as if someone threw a bucket of cod water, Paige stopped the kissing and took a step back.

"What?" Emily asked; she was panting hard and looked a bit frustrated now that Paige wasn't kissing and touching her.

"I forgot to tell you about it"

"About what?"

"Well, I don't really think I am going to be able to sleep at your place for a while" Paige said

"Why?" Emily asked worriedly

"I'm moving in with my brother and Caleb… just for a couple of weeks, until things with my mom calm down"

"Oh…"

"But I totally will find some excuse to keep seeing you, don't worry; Liam and Caleb are working all day so…"

Emily jumped off the sink finally and moved closer to Paige; then she retired a lock of hair from Paige's face and cupped her cheek gently.

"Are you okay with this moving out of your house thing?" She asked concerned

"Yeah sure, I am…"

"You don't seem really convinced"

Paige looked down; she wasn't okay about it obviously, she had cried like a baby when Pam asked her before and now she was about to break again.

"I never thought things with my mom would end up like this" She confessed

"She loves you Paige"

"Yeah well, she has a particular way to love then, because from my point of view she's always trying to push me away and to turn me into something I am not"

"That's why you ran away from your house the other night?" Emily asked remembering how upset Paige was and that they never talked about it.

"I guess I couldn't stand it anymore"

"Then you're doing the right thing" Emily said "Maybe distance could help"

Paige hugged her tightly and buried her face in her neck; Emily kissed the top of her head and smiled.

"Thanks for saying that; it's actually what I needed to hear" She mumbled

Emily was about to say something else when they heard someone knocking on the door. Both girls jumped scared and looked at each other with terror.

"Paige? Darling are you in there?" Pam's voice sounded worried at the other side

"Uh… yeah" Paige said trying to not sound too nervous

"Everything okay?" Pam asked

"Yes, yes, everything's fine, I just needed a moment" Paige said.

"Okay, remember that you can talk to me whenever you want"

"Thanks"

They heard Pam walking away and then they breathed out relieved. Emily's heart was hammering violently against her chest and Paige felt as if she had no air.

"That was too fucking close" She whispered

"I think we should get out of here" Paige suggested.

They managed to get out of the bathroom without being caught. Emily was the first one to go out, she ran discretely to the back of the house through the hallway and waited there while Paige went back to the living room where Liam and Ezra were still talking and Caleb was paying attention to some video he was watching on his phone.

"Where were you?"

Emily jumped startled when she heard her mother's voice behind her; she was waiting for the perfect moment to go back with the others, waiting by the door that lead to the back yard.

"You scared me" She said once she got over her little heart attack

"I've been looking for you"

"I was…" Emily hesitated for a moment but covered it by coughing while she thought about an excuse "Answering an important phone call"

"Oh, something about work?" Pam asked

"Yes, I mean no… it was an old friend from work in California" Emily said offering a smile. Pam eyed her for a brief second and then nodded.

"Well, everything okay then?"

"Yes, of course I've never been better" Emily said

"I'm glad to hear that, because you seem a bit flushed"

"I'm okay"

"Fine" Pam said "I think you should talk to Paige"

"Why?" Emily asked a bit worried

"Well, she's not having a great time with her mom, and she's a bit stressed and sad"

"I'll talk to her, no problem"

"You know… I've been by her side for years, and this issue always leaves her beat down but, since you're here every time you are in the room her face just lights up no matter what's happening in her life" Pam said

"I…" Emily was without words

"I have no idea what you do to her Em, but she really needs you"

Pam knew? That was the first thing that crossed Emily's mind; her mom was looking at her seriously, as if she was asking her to protect Paige because she knew what kind of relationship they have… but it was impossible, except for their little encounter in the bathroom before, Paige and her were always careful around people.

After that Pam just smiled dismissively and grabbed Emily's hand "Let's go back with the others" She said simply.

At first Emily was worried sick; she spent the next fifteen minutes trying to figure out if Pam knew something, she analyzed every word, and every movement but she didn't find anything to be worried about.

Pam was just being protective about Paige; it was obvious that the love she felt for the girl was more like the love a mother has for her kids, and it was really cute to see Pam all worried about Paige.

* * *

The 'party' ended late; they talked, laughed, watched some funny videos Caleb showed them and even played a few group games. It was quite a great night after all, definitely much better than Emily had expected at first.

She was worried about going to a pub at first and she ended up having fun with her family and friends. Not bad at all.

Ezra drove her home; they were the first ones to leave. Liam had offered to drop her home in his way to his apartment but it was a bit ridiculous since his house was not really close to Emily's so Ezra just said he would drive her.

After finally being in her apartment, Emily took off the dress and dressed in just a pair of sweats and an oversized shirt.

One of the things that she loved about being home without anyone around was the fact that she could wear whatever she wanted and do whatever she wanted to do without anyone saying a word.

Despite of being so late and knowing that she had to get up early; Emily grabbed a mug of hot chocolate and sat on the couch comfortably. It had been a weird day, and now all she wanted to do was to relax.

It would have been better to be with Paige… she would love to cuddle with her on the couch and watch a movie together or just chat quietly about whatever Paige wanted to talk.

She just wanted to be with Paige.

And as if someone was reading her mind the bell rang a few times startling her. Emily looked into the door's direction and then checked the hour.

She stood up and walked to the door; at first she thought it was Ezra, probably he forget something or wanted to tell her something. Emily crossed the small corridor that separated the hall from the living room.

"Paige?" Was the only thing she could say when she opened the door.

"I had to see you" Paige said before throwing herself against Emily and pinning her against the wall.

Emily managed to close the door before she found herself once again in a heated make up session with Paige, who was completely concentrated in kissing her desperately and touch every inch of her body.

"What has gotten into you?" Emily managed to ask between kisses as she gripped Paige's waist.

"You" Paige answered simply "And maybe… my hormones had been a bit desperate since our bathroom moment"

She kissed Emily's neck fiercely, trying not to leave a mark but wanting to make her squirm in pure pleasure.

"Then… I guess we should calm your hormones" Emily said suggestively.

Paige didn't wait for another word; she smiled and trapped Emily's lips between hers as she pressed their bodies closer. The action made Paige stumble back and before falling they started to move without stopping the kissing to the living's room direction.

Their walking stopped when Paige's calves hit the couch and they both fell onto it giggling as they kept kissing.

"I've been all night waiting for this" Emily said as she readjusted her body on top of Paige's and kissed her slowly running her hands up her torso.

"Me too"

"Wait" Emily said suddenly, she pulled away for a moment so she could look at Paige "What happened with your brother? I thought you were going home with him"

"Yes, and I was, but I just made up some excuse"

"About what?" Emily asked

"Let's just say that Aria is a really good friend… and that I owe her a dinner now" Paige said smiling

Emily smiled back at her and then kissed her again; her mind was a bit clouded with arousal and want and she wanted to make it up for Paige, since she didn't treat her very well that morning.

Her hand slid slowly under Paige's shirt and started to move up slowly caressing the soft flesh it found there, and her lips moved to Paige's jaw line kissing it lovingly and nipping the skin there making the girl squirm.

"Wait" Now it was Paige's time to stop. Emily looked at her confused

"What?"

"Are we going to do it on your couch?" Paige asked

"I don't really mind" Emily said trying to kiss her again

"Well… I had other things in mind when I came here"

Emily finally took the hint and sat on the couch ready to hear Paige, she was convinced that Paige just wanted to talk or something so she had to cool down.

"I'm all ears" She said

"Come with me" Paige said standing up and grabbing Emily's hand

They walked to the bedroom. Emily let Paige lead her and do whatever she wanted because she really seemed to be about to say or do something really relevant.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked after a moment of silence. They were standing in the middle of the room.

"Yes" Paige said

"So…"

Paige kissed her, but not desperately or fiercely like before; it was a loving, gentle kiss that literally made Emily's knees go weak.

"I didn't have in mind for us to just fuck senseless on your couch" Paige said after the kiss. Before she could speak again, Emily quickly leant again and kissed her again brushing their lips tenderly

"It doesn't sound bad though" She mumbled

"Maybe" Paige said as she started to lead Emily to the bed "But I wanted it to be more… romantic"

"Romantic?" Emily said smiling as she sat on the bed.

"You know, make love tenderly and sweet… that stuff"

"I see" Emily said. She could see a slight hint of embarrassment on Paige's face, her cheeks were slightly red and she was looking away shyly.

But as cute as this sight was, Emily understood.

She understood why Paige wanted things to be romantic, and sweet and tender; last night they both had been submerged in the passion, and the anger Paige felt just fed it, but after what happened today, it was obvious that Paige was sad.

Emily imagined that it wasn't easy for Paige to have to move in with her brother because of her mom; their relationship had always been complicated and it didn't seem to be getting better. So it was really normal that Paige needed some love and sweetness.

She stood up again before Paige could react; she trapped Paige's lips between hers and held her tightly against her body.

Paige groaned softly when she felt Emily kissing slowly down her neck and trying to take her shirt off.

She had been worried and sad during the evening; and during the way to Emily's apartment she had been trying to calm herself so she wouldn't bother Emily with her stuff; she thought that maybe being with her was going to do some good.

And there they were; Emily was showing her once again how extremely comprehensive and loving she was, because she was kissing her like it was the last time they were going to kiss, she was touching her as if she was the most precious thing in the world and it all made Paige feel the love and the support she needed to get better.

"I know what you need" Emily whispered into her ear.

By this point they both were shirtless and kissing fiercely but lovingly; Emily led Paige to the bed and waited until the girl lied there comfortably waiting for her to do something.

"And I am going to give it to you" She said finally offering a warm smile. Paige smiled back and nodded.

Emily placed her hands on Paige's abdomen marveling at how incredibly soft it was, she ran her fingertips along her ribs and sides and then leaned to kiss every inch of it.

Paige exhaled a soft moan when she felt Emily nip her skin at the same time she touched her gently but firmly; every touch was like a fire that burn her skin and insides and she started to feel more aroused by the second.

"You know, talking about what's bothering you could make things better" Emily whispered as she went up to kiss Paige's neck; she slid her hands to her back and softly undid her bra, the garment became loose and she just retired it gently admiring the amazing sight that was Paige topless.

She lowered her head and kissed the valley between her breasts and then cupped them between her hands.

"You can always talk to me"

"Do you seriously want to talk right now?" Paige asked sarcastically. Emily smiled and sucked on her right nipple as she palmed the other with her hand.

Paige let out a throaty moan at the contact; Emily was right, she should talk, but her mind was too clouded by arousal to formulate coherent sentences.

"I prefer to make love to you right now, but just so you know, you shouldn't keep sadness and anger for yourself, it's only going to hurt you more"

"Noted" Paige mumbled as Emily started unbuttoning her pants.

They both worked together to get the last piece of clothing off of their bodies; they took off Paige's jeans and her underwear and then Emily's.

Emily smiled at the view before her; Paige was lying completely naked, and she was beyond beautiful, her skin was soft and waiting to be touched and the look in her eyes was making Emily's heart race faster.

She quickly leant in until their bodies were pressed together, their skin rubbed softly as if it was trying to melt at the touch; the heat in their insides was starting to be too much so they just let their passion spring free.

Emily was being gentle and loving, she was kissing Page with decision and want but trying to assure her all her love in every single kiss and touch; she took her time.

Tonight wasn't going to be one of those nights were they just fucked senseless and with lust and fire, tonight it was about love; about connection.

Paige grabbed the headboard when Emily started to kiss down her body; her eyes were closed in pleasure and she bite her lip when she felt Emily's hot breath hovering over her center.

But even if she needed it as soon as possible, Emily didn't get to 'work' yet; she kissed teasingly Paige's thighs and caressed her abdomen but avoided touching the area between her legs, which drove Paige completely crazy.

It was obvious that Emily wanted to tease, she was enjoying it, she enjoying having Paige at her mercy; it was fun and really sexy.

"Emily… for fucks sake" Paige mumbled as she tried not to scream in frustration.

"What?"

"Don't tease, not tonight" Paige pleaded.

Emily smiled, she kissed Paige's inner thigh slowly a couple of times making Paige squirm; she was having fun now, but she knew Paige wasn't in the mood for teasing so she decided to stop.

Her mouth hovered once again dangerously close to the area Paige needed her the most; she took a second to just admire the sights and enjoy the moment and then finally ran her tongue along Paige's slit making the girl yell.

Paige was grabbing the headboard with one hand and the sheets with the other; Emily was using her tongue expertly on her, and she was about to explode; all her problems were now forgotten as she submerged in all the pleasure.

Emily was enjoying it, she loved to hear Paige's moans; she loved to hear how she tried to not be too loud and how she groaned when she tried not to come too soon. She was convinced that she had the cutest and sexiest girlfriend in the whole world and she loved to be able to be with her like this.

Paige's lower abdomen started to contract as she felt the beginning of her orgasm; Emily felt it so before the girl came she moved to her ear.

"Hold on" She whispered suggestively "I want to be inside you"

Paige let out a frustrated groan, she was at the edge of the orgasm right now, her body was tightening and she was starting to feel the waves of pleasure become stronger and now she had to hold on…

Emily smiled at her and bit her earlobe as she carefully inserted her fingers inside of Paige. They both moaned together as Emily started to thrust slowly at first.

"I'm not going to last too much" Paige managed to say

Emily kissed her; it was a hungry kiss, she took a moment to just enjoy the sensation of their lips together and then concentrated on the movements of her hand "Just hold on a moment" She pleaded.

She did as she was told; Paige used all her inner strength to hold on, her toes curled and she had to bite her lip and grab a fistful of the sheets in order to not come.

"Emily!" She said loudly as she lost control of her body.

Emily smiled proudly at hearing her name. It was amazing to hear it from Paige; the girl released one last throaty moan before she came hard against her hand, she released the sheets and held onto Emily digging her nails on her back.

"Fuck" She said as she relaxed once again on the bed.

"Open your eyes" Emily whispered softly. She was still lying on top of Paige kissing her lovingly and whispering love words into her ear.

Paige opened her eyes slowly and released the breath she had been holding on. They locked eyes, and she found the most loving and sincere look in Emily's eyes; all the love was concentrated in those dark eyes and her smile was warm and sweet.

"I love you" Emily said still looking into Paige's eyes.

It was as if with those words she just touched something deep into Paige's soul, because as soon as she heard them, a few tears fell down her eyes.

"I love you" She repeated as she kissed her cheek "Do you hear me?"

Paige nodded, and wrapped her arms around her hugging her tightly as she cried silently. Her life was falling apart, maybe it wasn't as dramatic as it sounded but after what happened with her mother and after making the decision of leave the house it seemed as if everything was changing fast and it made the situation more real.

Emily carefully lied next to her and allowed Paige to place her head on her chest, she just held her tightly as she sobbed quietly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emily asked after a while

"My mom has been trying to turn me into something I am not; she doesn't accept anything I do, and every time I try to prove her that what I want to be is important to me she just treats me like a kid and makes me feel as if I am just irrelevant and stupid, and it's been like that since I was a kid" Paige said in a low voice "There's really nothing to talk about, she never accepted me and she is never going to do so"

"Paige, she loves –"

"Don't" Paige said interrupting her; she sat on the bed and looked at Emily "Don't say that she loves me, because if that was true, she wouldn't try to change me, she wouldn't pull me apart"

"Some people have problems showing their feelings but that doesn't mean they don't have any" Emily said

"Whatever" Paige mumbled "I just need to be away from her for a while"

"And then what?" Emily asked "You leave your house and then what?"

"I don't know"

"Can I say something?" Emily asked, Paige looked at her confused and nodded "You may think that she hates you, or that she never loved you and that stuff but you surely love her Paige; that's what all this situation is affecting you so much, and I am not saying that she deserves to be forgiven right away, because she's not, but you need to talk to her"

"I don't want to face another disappointment with her" Paige said

"I know babe, but you need to clear things and maybe tell her what you've wanted to say all these years and maybe that could change the way she sees you"

"Or make her hate me forever" Paige commented

"You'll never now until you try"

Paige looked down a bit troubled; even if she didn't like it, Emily was right. She should talk to Claire at some point, and not to have the usual talk they always had; she knew that she should tell her mother how she felt but it just seemed to be so hard to do…

"Hey" Emily said gently, she lifted Paige's chin and kissed her cheek "I'm with you right now, and we are alone in this room, there are no parents, no friends, no one that can see us so… why don't we just enjoy the moment"

"That sounds amazing" Paige said offering a smile.

"Come here" Emily instructed, they lied again, Paige placed her head on Emily's chest comfortably and allowed her to hug her tightly once again; she needed to feel loved that night and Emily was doing a fantastic job.

"I don't know what I'd do without you" Paige mumbled, she looked at Emily "I really love you"

Emily kissed the top of her head and smiled.

"And… I am thinking about a second round" Paige said suggestively "You know, in return for what you just did for me"

"I thought you wanted tonight to be romantic" Emily said.

Paige disentangled her body from hers and lied on top of her kissing her and touching her gently.

"And it is going to be really romantic" She whispered as her hand moved slowly down Emily's body.

* * *

It was really late… or really early, depending on the point of view, when Emily woke up in desperate need to go to the bathroom.

The room was in complete silence; Paige was lying next to her completely fast asleep, their limbs tangled and their bodies really close.

Emily took a moment to move without waking the girl up and then ran to the bathroom and after that she went quickly to the kitchen to drink some water.

It was then when the sound of the intercom startled her to the point where she almost dropped her glass.

She checked the clock on the kitchen. It was four o'clock in the morning, it was too early and she definitely wasn't waiting to anyone. But when the intercom rang again she quickly ran to the bedroom to put on some clothes and close the door so the sound didn't wake up Paige.

This was one of the weirdest things that had happened to her in a long time and she took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello?" She asked a bit confused.

"Emily!" A high pitched voice sounded at the other end of the intercom and left Emily pale as a ghost.

"Hanna?"

* * *

 **Have a wonderful night/day :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Well guys, here you have the new chapter of the story. This one is kind of a transitio chapter that leads to the next part of the story and just a quick warning for all of you: Drama is coming!**

 **Feel free to comment and enjoy :)**

Chapter 27: Old friends, new problems

"Hanna?" Emily repeated the name carefully trying to understand what was happening. She must be dreaming or something… maybe it was just a dream and she'll wake up in no time.

"Uh… duh! Are you going to open the damn door or what?" The girl asked excitedly.

Emily took a second to think, this wasn't happening, Hanna was not there she couldn't be there. But she was; and Emily couldn't let her waiting forever, so she finally pressed the button to open the door and then looked around checking if the place was clean.

She ran quickly to close the door of her room praying silently for Paige not to wake up and for Hanna not to see her.

Emily was at the verge of a panic attack. What the hell was she going to do if Hanna saw Emily? That couldn't happen, Hanna could not find out about them…

Her trail of thoughts was abruptly interrupted when the blonde knocked on the door softly and finally Emily had to open. She took a deep, deep breath before turning the door knob, and before she could move or say something a body was crushing against hers hugging her tightly.

Hanna's blonde hair was all around Emily's face as they both stumbled backwards and fell onto the floor with a loud thud. But despite of that, Hanna never broke the hug, her arms were tightly wrapped around Emily's back and she was smiling brightly as she squeezed.

"Em! I am so happy to see you! Oh my Ggg…" Hanna was interrupted when Emily placed her palm firmly against her mouth to make her shut up.

"Hanna, it's four in the morning, stop yelling" She mumbled. Hanna finally let her go and they both stood up quickly.

"Why? Is not like you have any neighbors here" The blonde said fixing her clothes.

"No, but I just woke up, and I'd appreciate if you could slow down a bit" Emily said

"Oh come on, are you going to tell me that you didn't miss me?" Hanna asked still in a loud tone.

Emily pressed her lips together as she eyed the girl. Had she missed Hanna? Of course, she missed her friend more than she wanted to admit… after all, Hanna had always been one of her closest friends and she had helped her through all the hard times. But having her in front of her, right there in Rosewood felt surreal.

"Of course I missed you silly" Emily said finally, she offered a smile

"Cool! Because I seriously was starting to think that you had forgotten me or something" The blonde said.

Emily was about to say something when Hanna walked past her and stood in the middle of the living room eyeing the place. "This is such a nice place" She commented as she looked around

"How did you find it?"

"Uh… Ezra found it for me" Emily said in a low voice

"Wow, I love it! It's not too small but not too big… and it has nice views!" Hanna said cheerfully as she went to check the rest of the place.

Emily rubbed her forehead in frustration. Not that she didn't love to see Hanna, but the blonde was going to wake up Paige.

"Hanna slow down…" Emily tried to calm her

"Okay so you have to tell me everything!" The woman said not minding Emily's words. "I want to hear everything about this place, how is work going? Do you have friends? Do they pay you a lot? Have you met anyone? Any girl… girlfriend?"

"Hanna" Emily cut her off "Geez! You need to relax okay?"

"I'm sorry Em, it's just that I am really happy to see you"

"And I am happy to see you too, but we're not playing 20 questions right now… it's too early. Plus why are you here anyways?"

Hanna took a deep breath and offered a small smile. She got it, Emily was still dressed with her sleeping attire and it was too early so she probably came in a bad moment.

"Fine" She said "We'll be playing 20 questions later. Because now you have to show me the place"

Emily smiled softly and nodded "There's not much to see actually, here is the living room, there is the kitchen, the bathroom, my room…"

"Your room?" Hanna asked excitedly "I have to see it!"

Hanna took a few steps towards the closed door, Emily obviously panicked and ran after her trying to stop her and she probably could've done it but the moment they both were approaching the door… it opened slowly and a really confused and naked Paige stepped outside the room.

"Em… Why are you awake? And what's with all that screaming?"

The question lingered around the room, Emily closed her eyes and tried to not have a heart attack and Hanna watched the young girl in complete awe. Paige just stood there very confused.

"Oh. My. God" Hanna said as she smiled proudly

"Hanna…" Emily started ready to defend herself

"A naked girl just came out of Emily Fields' room!" Hanna said happily clapping and beaming.

Paige quickly ran inside of the room trying to find something to wear, finally she just put on a robe and came back outside looking really confused. Emily was completely blushed and looked at her apologetically before looking back at Hanna.

"This is not what it looks like" She said

"What, do you let everyone sleep naked in your bed? Because, you were sleeping in her bed right?" Hanna asked to Paige "Were you guys doing it?" She asked mischevously

"I…" Paige didn't know what to say

"No one was doing anything! She's just a friend" Emily said quickly.

Paige didn't understand what was happening. She just knew that a few minutes ago she woke up to an empty bed and when she was about to call Emily she heard someone screaming, and then she found that weird girl in front of her.

"A friend…" Paige repeated quietly, she was visibly hurt, she was not Emily's friend… obviously they couldn't tell that but it still hurt. Emily obviously saw the hurt expression on her face but couldn't do anything about it.

"A friend?" Hanna repeated "Do you sleep with all your friends?"

"What?! No!" Emily said quickly

"You know Em, you always suck at lying" Hanna laughed.

"Hanna I…"

"Hi, I am Hanna Marin" Hanna said addressing to Paige. Paige looked at her still confused but offered a small smile.

"Paige McCullers" She said

"Okay, so now that we all know each other why don't we…"

"How long have you been together?" Hanna asked ignoring Emily.

Paige looked at Emily quickly not knowing what to say or do. "Come on girls, we are grownups here, and plus I am really happy that Emily finally found someone"

"Okay fine… If I tell you you'll stop with the stupid questions?" Emily asked.

Hanna smiled happily and nodded "Okay then… uh… can you… just… wait there" Emily said to her friend signaling to the living room.

Hanna fortunately took the hint and went to sit on the couch while Emily grabbed Paige by the arm and pulled inside of the room.

"Okay… I'm afraid to ask this but… who the hell is that girl?" Paige asked trying to understand the situation

"I can't believe this just happened" Emily said to herself as she tried to calm her heartbeat

"Em…"

"She's Hanna" Emily said finally "She's a friend from California"

"Why is she here?"

"I'm asking myself the same question"

"Are you okay?" Paige asked eyeing the woman. Emily seemed a bit overwhelmed and at the edge of a heart attack.

"She saw you" Emily mumbled

"I know… I was there" Paige said sarcastically

"Fuck!" Emily said "Hanna knows about us…"

"Hey, calm down" Paige said trying to calm Emily as the woman started to panic.

"She doesn't know me Em" Paige said soothingly "She doesn't know who I am… so maybe you can tell her that I am just a girl you met"

Emily looked at her a bit confused, she could definitely do that… it's not like she could tell Hanna that the girl who she saw naked was her girlfriend who also happened to be her student…

"A girl I met…" Emily repeated

"Yeah or just tell her that we are friends" Paige said bitterly accentuating the word friends and arching an eyebrow. Emily obviously saw that and understood that what she had said before had somehow offended Paige.

"Paige…" Emily started trying to fix what she just did but Paige raised her hand making her stop.

"I'm going to change" She said as she started to look for her clothes "And you should clearly go back there and… talk to that girl"

Emily wanted to say something else, to tell Paige that she was sorry or whatever, but it was not as if she did this on purpose, in the end, they both knew that their relationship had to be a secret.

"Fine" She mumbled finally exiting the room.

Hanna was lying comfortably on the couch, a position that didn't match with her expensive clothes; she was wearing a tight short skirt and a blouse covered by a blazer that was now rolled up as her back rubbed against the couch. Her feet up the coffee table and her gaze lost in her screen phone.

"Did you guys finish your business?" She asked without looking at Emily. The woman just sighed deeply in embarrassment

"Stop it Hanna"

"Why? I don't want to be the reason why you guys don't have fun" Hanna said jokingly.

As Emily started to approach the couch, Paige appeared through the door already dressed in her clothes. Both Hanna and Emily looked at her, the blonde with a smile as she tried to check the girl now that she was dressed and Emily just eyed her worried that she could still be mad at her.

"Uh… I'm going to head home" Paige said breaking the uncomfortable silence

"I'll call you later" Emily said trying to not sound desperate

"We should go out someday" Hanna interrupted. She immediately realized that she shouldn't have said that.

Emily gestured her to shut up and then followed Paige to the door. They both looked at each other. This was not the idea of waking up after such a beautiful night that Emily had in mind, but now they couldn't do anything.

"I'll see you in class" Paige said. She turned around and opened the door but before she could move Emily grabbed her and pulled her outside out of Hanna's view.

"I'm not letting you go while you're mad at me" She said

"You shouldn't make your friend wait" Paige replied

"Are you seriously mad at me because I called you friend?"

"I'm not your friend" Paige said frustrated

"I know, but you know that we can tell anyone, what do you want me to say?"

Emily was right. They were more than friends but only between them; in public they had to be just friends or probably just people that knew each other… but Paige never realized how much that would hurt until now.

"I… I'm not mad at you" Paige said in a low voice; that was true, she was just mad at the situation.

"But you're not happy about this"

"I just need some time" Paige said offering a vague smile.

Emily eyed her carefully and after a moment she just nodded and wrapped an arm around Paige's waist pulling her against her body.

"I understand you" She said pressing her forehead to Paige's before leaning in for a kiss "But I am not going to let you alone in this. I'll talk to you later okay?" She asked

"Text me?" Paige asked after a lingering kiss on Emily's lips

"Of course" Emily said smiling softly.

They couldn't be there the entire day so finally Paige had to go leaving Emily standing by her front door trying to figure out what to do next.

She went back to her apartment and closed the door behind her as she took a big breath. Hanna was now sat on the couch eyeing her with a big smile.

"That… was so cute!" She said happily "Am I seeing Emily Fields in love?"

"Hanna, this is not what you think"

"Oh come on Emily, we're both grownups here… are you seriously trying to tell me that that hot girl who was naked three minutes ago is just your friend? What were you two playing strip poker or something?"

Emily sat on the couch and let out a sigh of frustration. She didn't want to lie to her friend, but she couldn't just tell the truth.

"Em, you know that I won't judge you right? I mean it's okay for you to find someone, you totally deserve it after all you went through last year… plus you need to have some fun too" Hanna tried to comfort her.

"You don't understand… I…"

"What?"

Emily couldn't. She just couldn't, this was too much for her and she wasn't really ready to talk about her and Paige or her love life in general.

Her relationship with Paige was amazing, she was so lucky to have someone as caring and as loving as the girl but at the same time it was not correct for them to be together, so the pressure of keeping the secret was a bit overwhelming to her, plus things had gone so fast between them that she was still trying to process them herself.

"Look… I have to get ready for work" Emily said finally "I have to go in a while so…"

"Don't say more" Hanna said offering a smile and standing up "I know that you are busy so I'll go back to my hotel room to rest, the flight was so tiring"

"Are you staying in a hotel room?" Emily asked

"Uh yeah, I didn't want to intrude in your life here Em, plus I didn't know if your apartment was big enough for me too"

"You know that I am really glad to see you right?" Emily said offering a smile.

"I know sweetheart, but also I know that I shocked you with my impromptu visit, so I'll let you calm down and then we'll go for dinner"

"Sounds good" Emily said

"Unless you already have plans with that hot, hot chick" Hanna said

"Okay, that's it, let's not talk about the fact that you met my girl… her naked" Emily mumbled quickly

"Fine, fine" Hanna approached her and kissed her cheek sweetly "I'll see you later!"

To say that Emily was nervous was probably to speak too quickly because she didn't really know how she felt. But she was at the verge of having an attack of some kind that was for sure.

This whole 'Hanna' thing had taken her completely by surprise, she never expected her friend to visit her unannounced and she obviously never expected her to meet Paige the way she did…

But the thing that scared Emily the most was not the fact that Hanna knew about Paige now, no, the scariest thing to her had a name:

Jennifer.

 _1 year ago_

"You need to go to the hospital" Hanna said with a serious tone

"I'm fine"

"Em, you're bleeding. You're fucking bleeding!" The blonde grabbed a wet cloth and used it to gently clean some blood and cuts from Emily's face. The girl hissed immediately at the touch as she felt the wet garment graze her bruised skin.

"I'm going to kill that fucking bitch. I swear to god that the next time I see her I'm going to break her legs!"

"You're not going to do such thing" Emily said quickly before muttering a soft 'ouch' as Hanna applied pressure in one particular big cut.

"Emily" Hanna said stopping her actions to look at her in the eyes "Are you really going to keep the act on this? Are you seriously going to pretend that this is nothing?"

"Hanna I'm…"

"Fine" Hanna finished Emily's sentence for her "Yeah, fine" She repeated, then pointed to Emily's body to prove her point.

Emily had shown up at Hanna's apartment a while ago, and her state was terribly scary. She had multiple cuts all over her face and lips, she was bleeding through her nose and after a detailed checking Hanna saw that her friend had several bruises all over her torso and arms.

"Which part of this seems fine to you?" Hanna asked pointing at Emily.

"I don't need more problems Hanna"

"If you don't do anything to stop her you sure will have more problems" Hanna said in annoyance.

"It's not so easy"

"Em, she hit you" Hanna pointed out "She fucking hit you and I know that it's not the first time"

"That's not true… I…" Emily started talking but lost her voice midsentence as her eyes filled with tears and she felt pressure in her chest.

"Do you really think that I never noticed it?" Hanna's question lingered around the silent room for a moment "I saw your bruises these past months, and you were starting to get out of excuses you know? You can't expect me to believe that you fell downstairs that often"

Emily was hurt, that was for sure, and not just physically. Her body felt heavy and extremely sore, deep inside she knew that probably Hanna's advice to see a doctor wasn't a bad idea; but she didn't really have the strength to do it. Besides, her heart hurt more than her body.

The humiliation and the shame were consuming her as she stood in front of her friend in that state. She didn't want anyone to see her like that, so vulnerable and so small… all her happiness, and her life were now gone as she sat there completely broken and defeated.

She felt disgusted with herself, as if this entire situation was her fault and no one else's.

"Look at me Em" Hanna said in a soft voice.

The blonde knew that this wasn't easy for her friend; she didn't really know what had happened that night but she could imagine it.

She never approved on Emily's girlfriend. Maybe at first she thought that Jennifer was a nice girl but definitely that changed once she started to know her a bit better.

Emily had always been full of life, she loved to spend time with her friends and loved to work and have fun from time to time and suddenly all her life seemed to stop and start to rotate around this new girl.

Hanna contemplated how Emily started to become into a very shy and closed person who barely hung out with her friends, she rarely went out without Jennifer and the ginger seemed to decide everything for Emily, what kind of clothes she should wear, where to go, what to eat…

And then of course were the mysterious bruises… Emily said always a lame excuse to cover it. The first one was a small cut in her eyebrow a few months ago. Hanna asked her about it once she saw it and Emily said that she tripped with an open door.

But after a while Hanna stopped believing her excuses, obviously something bad was going on and sadly she couldn't do anything to help Emily.

"You're safe now, do you hear me?" She asked her friend trying to offer a smile.

Emily was crying silently, trying to swallow her tears and her shame; her eyes met Hanna's for a brief moment but she felt too disgusting to look at her in the eyes.

She was broken, and it was her fault. She didn't deserve anyone's pity or attention.

Hanna seemed to read her mind, because she moved slowly to wrap her between her arms in a soft hug.

The contact made Emily moan in pain as she felt all her bruised parts squeezed, but then she relaxed a bit in the hug, and finally she reacted and started crying.

She really cried. Never in her entire life had she cried like this, as if she was a lost child not knowing where to go or what to do.

She felt lost

She was broken

Her life was as hurt as her body.

"It's going to be okay" Hanna whispered in her ears as she tried to calm her.

Judging Emily was not going to do any good and the blonde knew that what her friend needed was just a shoulder to cry and to feel loved, she needed to know that things weren't as bad a she thought.

"I don't know what to do" Emily said between sobs.

Hanna pulled away slowly and wiped the tears from Emily's cheeks "Yeah you do" She whispered

"And I am going to help you" She said again before hugging her again.

* * *

 _Present day_

"You know what… I feel as if I just talked with a wall" Aria mumbled as she closed her locker. Paige was leaned against the wall as she eyed the horizon in silence not even realizing that her friend was talking.

"Uh… what?" She said finally when she noticed Aria's gaze on her.

"I am not going to repeat everything I just said" the smaller girl said clearly annoyed.

"I'm sorry Aria…"

"Yeah, you must be, I just gave you a detailed description of my amazing day yesterday and you just ignored me" The brunette said. Paige gave her an apologetic look "I need a new best friend" She said as she started to walk pulling her bag on her back.

Paige immediately follow her feeling extremely sorry "Wait, I'm sorry, really… I just was thinking about…"

"About what?" Aria asked raising an eyebrow, Paige made an attempt to say something but a group of hormonal, cheery boys walked past them and she had to wait before she could said something. "Oh I see" Aria said noticing Paige reluctance to talk "This is about your… friend" She said looking around to check if someone could hear them.

Paige nodded, she wasn't angry, nor annoyed or disappointed; she just felt something indescribable inside and that was kind of consuming her mind.

She took a quick decision before the first bell of the morning rang. In a quick movement, Aria found herself being pulled into one of the empty classes out of everyone's view. She watched her friend in confusion and then took a moment to understand what was happening.

The bell rang and they heard rushed footsteps along the large corridor as everyone, teachers and students headed to their respective classes. They both just stayed in silence as they waited for everyone to pass.

"Do you know that the reason why we come to school is to actually go to school?" Aria asked ironically "This skipping classes 'thing' is starting to be a bit weird"

"You hate math" Paige mumbled "I'm actually saving you from a boring class"

"Oh how considerate and helpful from you" Aria smiled "Okay now that you made me skip class tell me what is wrong"

Paige took a deep breath and exhaled "Okay… I actually don't know where to start" She confessed

"Well, the beginning is usually the obvious thing to start with"

Aria moved to one of the chairs there and took a sit gesturing Paige to do the same. They both reminded silent for a moment.

"Something happened" Paige said finally

"Okey…" Aria encouraged her to continue

"And is not something bad because… I mean nothing bad happened between us, we didn't argue and she seemed to be fine, and then there was this other weird girl Lana? I think she was surprised but then she seemed to be okay with this and I guess I'm just overreacting but…"

"Paige okay, slow down" Aria was completely lost. Paige was rambling and talking way too fast for her to understand "What happened? And what did you just said about another girl?"

"Remember last night when I told you to tell my brother that I was staying the night at yours because I was going to visit Emily?" Paige said

"Yes"

"Okay, well…"

"Did you not have a great time?" Aria asked jokingly

"Actually last night was pretty cool… we… you know"

"I know"

"But that's not the thing, I mean I don't know why or how but there was a woman this morning in Emily's apartment I think she's an old friend or something and she kind of saw me naked and now she knows about us"

"Wow" Aria said trying not to laugh "Naked? Really?"

"What do you expect? We weren't exactly expecting visits"

"Probably next time you should reconsider putting clothes after banging our beloved teacher"

"This isn't funny" Paige said as she saw the devilish smile in Aria's face "That woman just saw us, she saw me and she knows that we are dating…"

"What?" Aria asked when she saw the girl stopping midsentence

"Well I don't exactly know if she knows that we are dating, because Emily kept saying that we are friends and that stuff… I mean she said that we are friends… friends?"

"Are you mad at her?" Aria asked

"What? No" Paige responded "I'm not mad"

"But you're not happy either"

"I don't know what I am feeling at this moment or how I should feel"

"Is this because she called you friends then?"

Paige sighed and rubbed her forehead looking down in embarrassment "I feel stupid" She admitted

"Don't say that" Aria comforted her rubbing her hand along Paige's hand

"But it's true, I mean… I shouldn't feel like this, it is not as if Emily did something bad" Paige said "I feel like a child"

"Paige, look at me" Aria commanded. Paige raised her head and found her friend's eyes "Stop putting so much pressure on yourself for things that aren't as bad as you think"

"But…"

"Let me finish" Aria cut her "The thing you have with Emily is nice and cute and you two love each other a lot but you have to be more conscious about the fact that what you are doing is not so correct to the rest of the world's eyes. Remember that if someone else finds out about her dating a student, things could get really bad"

"I know"

"And I guess that it must be hard for you to hear her call you a friend when you clearly are not but that's the way this has to work for the moment"

"You're right" Paige whispered "And deep down I know it, it's just that I wasn't really expecting to hear that, and even if I know that to anyone else we can't be more than friends… it still hurts to hear her call me that"

"Hey" Aria said gently offering a smile "You need to stay strong and learn to accept this, remember that in less than one year you'll be free to call her your girlfriend in front of everyone"

"I would love that" Paige breathed out

"Everything will be fine, but you know… I think that you should be talking about this with Emily"

Paige eyed the tiny brunette and then looked at her hands that were clasped in between her legs "I don't want her to think that I am an immature kid"

"She's not going to think that about you P" Aria said "She loves you! And she would understand. Plus, no relationship can survive if the two parts involved keep things to themselves instead of talking"

There was a short silence, Aria felt proud of herself after her little speech and Paige looked at her suppressing a laugh

"What?" Aria asked

"Since when did you turn into a relationship expert?"

"Please, the fact that my love life is fucked up doesn't mean that I can give you a little advice from time to time"

Paige let out a small laugh "You're right, I should talk to her"

"Of course I'm right! I'm always right" Aria said cockily.

* * *

"So Hanna is here" Ezra said as he handed Emily a hot cup of coffee. Emily took it muttering a soft 'thanks' and then sighed deeply

"Yep"

"And what does she want?" Ezra asked confused as he sat next to Emily

"I'm asking myself the same question"

"Do you think she came here because of…"

"I don't know" Emily cut him "I mean she could just be here to visit, in the end it's been a while since we saw each other"

"Yeah well, Hanna is so unpredictable that it is impossible to know why she does certain things" Ezra said smiling

"I agree" The brunette said letting a soft laugh

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ezra asked concerned.

Emily took a moment to think about that question. Was she okay?

What had happened that morning had left her a bit confused and scared; she never expected anyone to find out about her and Paige, sure it was a good thing that Hanna didn't know who Paige was, but still Emily didn't know how to feel about that.

"I'm fine" She said finally "I can't just assume that she's here to give me bad news when I haven't even spoken to her"

"Well that's true" Ezra added quickly, then looked at Emily in the eyes "But do you think you'll be okay if she's here to give you bad news?"

Emily looked down pensive and swallowed "I don't know" She said honestly

"No matter what remember that I am always here" He said offering a soft smile.

* * *

Hanna was way too overdressed for the occasion; obviously it wasn't as if this was something new. Emily was more than used to see the blonde wearing fancy dresses or truly expensive clothes even if they were only going to a cheap bar to have some coffee.

But it was just the way she was, and Emily couldn't say that she didn't miss her because she did; they were really good friends since day one and now that they were reunited again she just realized how much she had missed her friend.

"So I want to hear everything" Hanna said to a mouthful of burger. They had decided to go to a small dinner to have lunch and to talk. Emily looked at her as she finished chewing on some chips and swallowed quickly

"What do you mean?" She asked playing dumb. She knew that a certain conversation about her love life would come up soon.

"I mean that I want to know everything about your life here" Hanna said taking another bite of her hamburger. It was surreal to watch the blonde, dressed up with a tight blue dress and high heels, a black leather jacket covering her shoulders, and her hair falling perfectly around her face making her look just like a model and then her mouth stuffed with burger as she chewed quickly…

"I told you" Emily said "I work in my old high school; I'm also helping with the swim team and I have a few new friends"

"Yeah, and that's like the only thing you have told me since you arrived here"

"Well, sorry if my life isn't a daily adventure like yours" Emily said laughing

"What can I say? I like to have fun. But that is not the point" Hanna said doing her best to look serious. She wiped her mouth with a napkin as she swallowed the rest of her burger and then cleared her throat. "Why didn't you tell me that you're dating again?"

There was a silence. Emily bit her own burger trying to make some time as she thought about an answer. Lying to Hanna would be a huge mistake, and she didn't deserve it, but she couldn't just tell her that Paige was her student… and also she didn't really felt up to talking about her private life.

"That's because I am not dating again" She said simply

"So that hot, naked chick I saw coming out of your room this morning was just a one night stand?" Hanna asked raising an eyebrow.

Emily looked down embarrassed. The fact that she was about to admit that Paige was a one night stand hurt even more that the fact that she was lying to Hanna.

"You know I never took you for the 'one night thing' type" The blonde said; then she made a pause to take a sip of water.

Emily took a deep breath "That's because I am not" She said finally

Hanna studied her friend for a second and then smiled genuinely at her "Em, you know that is not a bad thing that you find love again right?"

"I know that it's just…"

"Look, you've been through a lot of shit lately" Hanna started "You're deeply hurt and you said that you didn't want to open yourself to anyone ever again; but Em, you deserve to be happy"

Emily was feeling her eyes fill with tears and was doing everything to not start crying. Hanna put her hand atop the girl's over the table and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You have every right to find someone to be happy with, someone to love and who loves you the way you deserve"

Emily took a deep breath and nodded "Just be honest to me for a second" Hanna said "Are you happy with her? She is more than just a hook up right?"

"Yes" Emily said finally, Hanna didn't need to know who Paige was nor know about her age or their relationship as teacher and student.

"I knew it!" Hanna said happily clapping and smiling from ear to ear "I'm so glad that you finally found someone!"

"Yeah well… we're kind of taking things slow" Emily confessed

"Oh sweetheart, so finding her naked at your apartment is taking things slow?"

"Well, no… but I mean slow as in we haven't told anyone yet and it would be wonderful to keep things like that" Emily said

"Okay I get it, is not as if I am going to tell about it" Hanna said

"You sure?"

"I know how to keep a secret" The blonde said. Emily raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'll do my best to keep this secret"

"Fine"

"And why are you hiding this?" Hanna asked curious "I mean, if you're happy…"

"We've only been dating for a few months and well… there are a few things that we need to get through before we tell everyone"

"She isn't married, isn't she?" Hanna asked worriedly

"What? No, of course not"

"Is she even gay? I mean if you are waiting for her to come out of the clo-"

"Hanna, Paige is gay" Emily said a bit frustrated with the interrogation "She is out to everybody and believe me she isn't married or dating someone else… we're just trying to have things between us because of my mom and her family"

"Your mom" Hanna whispered "I forgot about her, how are things between you two now?"

Emily brathed out relieved by the change of subject "Actually things are really good; it's like nothing ever happened between us"

"Wow, I'm so glad, I totally have to meet her, and oh and your girl too"

"What?" Emily said almost chocking on her water

"We have to go out, just the three of us how about tonight? I would love to meet your girlfriend… properly this time"

"We can't" Emily said quickly

"Why not? I'm your best friend and as your best friend I need to meet the person you're dating to make sure you made a great decision"

"Hanna, I made a great decision" Emily said "And I don't think you interrogating my girlfriend over dinner would be the best thing to do"

"It's just a dinner Em, I promise I'll be on my best behavior"

Hanna looked at her with pleading eyes, which actually made Emily feel even more guilty and bad for lying. A dinner with the three of them could be good, but also could expose them, and the last thing they needed right now was to have someone finding out about their secret.

Also she knew how overwhelming Hanna could be with people and she didn't know if Paige was ready for something like that. Plus there was still the fact that Paige was a lot younger than them, and if Hanna started asking questions she was going to find out…

"We'll see" Emily said finally trying to push the issue out of her mind. First of all she needed to talk to Paige before saying anything and second, Hanna needed to calm down before she could meet Paige.

"At least tell me that you're going to let me meet your mom" Hanna begged

"Of course, that could be arranged"

"Fantastic" The blonde breathed out as she started to eat again.

* * *

Paige deposited her bag on one of the benches as she entered the locker room. There was no one around so the place was filled with a complete silence that allowed the girl to think more properly. She carefully unzipped the bag and took her towel and googles before she started undressing.

Practice was in half an hour, but she liked to be soon sometimes so she could do some laps on her own and distract herself from things. And Coach Fulton didn't mind her being there so early so it was a good thing.

She stripped down her clothes until she was standing there in just her swimsuit and grabbed her cap ready to head to the pool.

Just when she was about to leave the room a door sounded behind her and she turned around to find Emily walking in the locker room.

The woman hadn't planned to find Paige there; in fact she seemed surprised to see her there since she stoop abruptly and a soft smile formed in her lips.

"Hey" She said after a moment. Paige returned the smile and muttered a quick 'hi' to her

"Aren't you a bit earlier?" Emily said still not moving from her spot

"Uh, yeah I am… I just wanted to do some laps before the rest of the girls came"

Emily nodded and took a small step trying to figure out if things were okay between them. Paige didn't seem upset or mad so maybe after what happened that morning she was okay.

"Cool… I… wanted to talk" Emily said finally, she felt stupid for being so nervous.

Paige nooded "About?" She asked; that was the moment when Emily knew that something was wrong.

"I think you know; remember this morning?" Emily said embarrassed

"When your friend saw me naked?" Paige asked sarcastically "Yeah I remember"

"I'm sorry for the way things developed; I had no idea she was going to show up in my apartment"

"It's okay I guess… it's not your fault" Paige said offering a smile. Her conversation with Aria wasn't forgotten, but she just didn't know how to bring up the issue right now.

"No, but I just felt bad for the way you had to leave and how everything went" Emily said in a low voice

"Everything is okay" Paige said reassuringly

"Cool, because I thought that you were mad or something"

Paige breathed out a laugh "I'm not mad"

"Well" Emily said in a suggestive voice "I'm glad to hear that. So does that mean that I get to have a kiss?"

"A kiss?" Paige said matching her tone

"Yeah, since we only kissed once today and I haven't seen you since you left"

Paige took a few steps until the distance between them was inexistent and let out a breath when she felt Emily putting her hands gently on her hips. Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and allowed the woman to pull her impossibly closer.

Then Emily captured her lips in a slow and very gentle kiss as she graced Paige's skin over the swimsuit.

"Have I ever told you how sexy you look in a swimsuit?" She asked as she kept kissing Paige. The girl just smiled against her lips.

"No, you haven't"

Emily opened her mouth allowing their kiss to deepen and then pushed Paige's body until she was pressed against the lockers.

"Well, you are" She said as her hands started to roam over Paige's torso.

"You know Em, I think that our rules said that we couldn't be doing this in here" Paige moaned out as she felt the woman's hands grace her nipples. She let out a groan when Emily's lips moved from her mouth to her neck and started sucking gently on it.

"I know" Emily said as her hand made its way down Paige's body.

Paige moaned embarrassingly loudly when she felt her lover's hand cup her sex over the swimsuit. She felt wetness pool between her legs and all her rational thoughts turned off as the heat in her body increased.

"Then we should stop" She tried to speak but the words came out as a weak moan.

Emily was kissing her senseless, her hands were touching all the right places and Paige was starting to feel the urge to forget about the rules and do something really stupid with Emily in the locker room.

"We should" Emily mumbled as she went back to kissing Paige's lips, this time their mouths collided hard against each other as they pressed their bodies together.

Emily's right hand was still between Paige's legs applying some pressure where Paige needed her the most and the girl was starting to thrust her hips in order to get some friction.

"Emily" She mumbled between low moans when she felt the woman retiring her hand from between her legs

"What?"

"I need you" Paige said as she put her own hand atop Emily's and started to guide her again to her core.

"You know this is an extremely stupid thing to do?" Emily asked as she started to apply a bit of pressure over the girl's clit over the garment.

"I… fuck… I know" Paige said

Emily kissed her jawline and smiled when she felt Paige groan in frustration "I need you to be quiet" She commanded "And we have to be really quick" She added.

Paige nodded trying not to seem so desperate. Emily then decided to get to work; she quickly pulled the garment between Paige's legs aside and ran her fingers gently along Paige's wet folds earning a whimper from the girl.

She was enjoying herself quite a bit but at the same time she was worried about someone walking in on them, but that thought was quickly dismissed when she saw Paige biting her lip and closing her eyes at the touch.

"Paige" She whispered against the girl's ear "Please, look at me" She asked as she continued the movement with her fingers "Open your eyes"

Paige did as she was told and the moment her eyes opened and made eye contact with Emily's, the woman slid two fingers inside of the girl and started to pump at a fastening pace.

The action caused Paige to open her mouth and before she could moan Emily used her free hand to cover her mouth. Paige's hands were gripping on Emily's shirt hard as she thrusted her hips forward to meet the woman's pace.

"Fuck" She mumbled as she bit her lip again

"Remember that you have to be quiet" Emily said as she leaned in for a kiss.

They rhythm increased as Emily's thrust became harder and faster and Paige lost control and started to move her hips frantically. Emily could feel the girl's insides tightening around her fingers and she could tell that she was close.

She looked at Paige's giant brown eyes and smiled at her; one of her favorite things was to watch the girl while she was coming undone, Paige's lustful eyes were the sexiest thing ever and Emily felt incredibly turned on just by looking at them.

"Emily" She breathed out as she buried her face in Emily's shoulder "I'm so close…"

Emily knew, she started to thrust harder and rubbed the girl's clit with her thumb to help her come quicker, and finally she did.

Paige let out a groan against Emily's shoulder as she felt her orgasm hit her. The pleasure was too much; she felt her stomach tighten and then relaxed in Emily's embrace.

Emily kept moving her fingers inside of her for a moment until Paige finally came down from her high. And then after a moment she pulled out readjusting Paige's swimsuit and holding the girl.

"That was… wow" Paige mumbled as she put her arms around Emily's back "I can't move"

Emily let out a soft laugh "That good uh?"

"I wish we had more time" Paige said. Emily hugged her tightly breathing in Paige's scent and placing a kiss on her neck.

"You know you can come to my apartment whenever you want" She reminded her as she smiled

They reminded silent for a moment; Paige seriously needed a second to recover and Emily just was happy holding the girl.

But unfortunately this couldn't last forever, the sound of a door startled them, Emily quickly moved away from Paige.

"Paige, I didn't know you were here" Sydney's voice was low but sounded happy to see her friend "Ms. Fields" She said as she noticed the woman

"Hey Sydney" Emily said

The three girls exchanged awkward looks "So… I'm going to go" Emily said finally glancing one more time to her girlfriend.

"She seemed nervous" Sydney commented as she moved to place het things on a bench. Paige took a deep breath.

"Yeah… teacher things I guess" She said simply.

* * *

Practice was beyond weird, or at least that's what Paige thought. Having to see Emily around and in class during the day was enough torture and weird, she had to make a huge effort to not do something stupid with people around and now, after having sex in the locker room… having to see Emily as the woman helped the girls and talked to them was incredibly hard.

Coach Fulton was extremely hard on the girls that day. They had a competition in a few weeks and they had to be perfect, so that meant extra exercise for the girls. And of course Emily was there to help.

Paige had to control her hormones and her eyes; she realized that looking at her 'secret' girlfriend every single minute wasn't the best thing so she had to distract herself. Luckily Sydney was in a talkative mood so she just bonded with her in between races.

"Okay girls that's it for today, I hope next day you come here more focused" Fulton said.

Everyone started to make their way to the lockers to change, the girls were commenting about the next competition and how tired they were. Paige just walked in silence until she felt someone walking close to her.

"You did a fantastic job today" Emily said in a relative slow voice as she offered a smile. Paige, who was drying her hair with a towel as she walked, smiled proudly

"Thanks Coach Fields" She said trying to sound polite

"You are definitely improving" Emily said

"Well, I have a nice teacher" Paige said

"I know, the best" Emily joked letting out a small laughing

"But seriously talking, you really helped me these past weeks, so thanks"

Paige stopped as she finished the sentence and offered a smile. They were standing too close, and Emily took a step back as she realized it.

"Do you mind if I go to your place later?" Paige asked in a whisper.

"You don't have to ask that, you are welcomed whenever you want" Emily answered smiling and looking down.

Paige seemed as if she was about to say something when suddenly Coach Fulton's voice startled them both "McCullers" She said as she approached the two girls "You have a visit"

"Who?" Paige asked

"Your dad, he's waiting for you outside. By the way Fields, you're doing a fantastic job with Paige… keep doing it" The older woman said as she smiled.

When Fulton left, Paige rubbed her neck nervous "My dad…"

"He probably wants to see how you are" Emily said soothingly

"Or he wants to lecture me for leaving the house"

"You'll never know until you talk to him" Emily said, she desperately wanted to hug the girl before her. She wanted to hold her in her arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but she couldn't. "You can't stop talking to your parents, Paige. They're still your family"

"I know" Paige mumbled

"Look, just go see what he wants. And if you feel too bad after that you come to my place so I can make you feel better" Emily said smiling

"That actually sounds really good"

"I know you can't resist me" Emily smiled devilishly

"That's true"

The tension between them was heavy and almost palpable; they both cleared their throats and took a step back before their hormones betrayed them.

"I should go" Paige muttered before turning around and walking away.

* * *

The parking lot was almost empty when Paige finally walked out of the building; she had showered as quickly as possible, her hair was tied up in a long ponytail and she carried her bag in her shoulder as she walked.

Nick McCullers was leaned up against his car, a black Mercedes that was parked next to the exit. He smiled at his daughter as he saw Paige approaching, and Paige couldn't avoid the smile that formed on her lips.

She had missed her dad; that was for sure. They hugged, Nick wrapped his arms around the girl's and just held her in silence as Paige buried her face on his chest. He smelled like home and that made Paige's eyes fill with tears.

When they pulled apart a few minutes later he wiped away a few tear trays that were marked on Paige's cheeks and then put a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What are you doing here?" She asked still a bit confused. He grabbed Paige's bag and opened the back door of the car throwing the bag inside.

"I wanted to see you" Nick said with a soft voice, then opened the passenger door for Paige and looked at her "Don't you want to spend some time with your father?"

Paige felt relieved. Like magically a big weight was released from her shoulders allowing her to breathe properly again; after all what had happened, her dad wasn't mad at her, he was there trying to be cool as always and just wanting to hang out with her. She had been really worried thinking that maybe Nick was going to hate her for leaving but he didn't seem to be judging her or even upset at her.

So she jumped into the car and waited for her dad to start the engine. He didn't say a word, so she stayed silent. Nick wasn't a talkative person, or at least not on a regular basis, he talked a lot in their family dinners on holidays, always sharing his stories and anecdotes and used to talk a lot with his colleges but in home he was quieter.

Not that Paige complained, they didn't need many words actually; they talked when needed and other times they just enjoyed their company without breaking the silence. That's why she loved her dad so much, Claire always tried to talk even if Paige wasn't in the mood for it and Nick just needed to spend time with her daughter no matter if it was in silence.

He turned the radio on and put a loud volume as a Queen song started to play, Paige eyed him with a smile as he started to sing along not caring how out of tune he was.

The entire ride went pretty much like this; Paige relaxed on her seat and ended up singing with her dad to a few songs until they finally parked the car outside a restaurant.

"Where are we?" Paige asked confused. Nick had driven her to the center of Rosewood, more concretely to a small neighborhood next to the town hall and really close to the central street where the important buildings and shops were. The place seemed to be a bit crowded and there were tons of cars parked outside.

"Welcome to the Italian pizza restaurant" Nick said

"I didn't know this place" Paige mumbled as they got out the car

"Well neither did I until a colleague from work invited me last week; they serve the best pizza ever"

They walked inside, the place was fancy but at the same time a bit rustic, the wooden floors of the entrance were covered by a red carpet that led to a small table where a man in a suit was waiting patiently. Then there were a few stairs that led to the restaurant; the tables were placed everywhere, the place was small but everything was well placed. Soft music played on the background to create a nice atmosphere.

Nick went to talk to the man in the suit and he led them to a small table on the corner of the restaurant. It was placed next to a window, which allowed them to see the outside.

"So you had reservations for this place?" Paige asked

"Yeah" Nick said without taking his eyes off of the menu

"How did you know that I was going to come with you?" The girl asked curious. For a moment she had thought about declining the offer when Fulton told her that her dad was waiting for her.

"Well, I know you quite well and I know that you never could resist to a good pizza" Nick said "Besides, I kind of figured out that you would want to talk"

"That's really true" Paige said smiling

"The pizza part or the talking part?"

"I guess both" Paige said

A waiter came to the table and took their orders quickly leaving them alone again once he finished.

"So you want to talk" Nick said as he eyed his daughter carefully.

There was a huge difference between his two daughters. Cassie was a free spirit, she was like the sun, always with a smile on her face and her extroverted personality; she was talkative to a point where it could even be annoying and most of the time she was like an open book.

Paige in the other hand was nothing like her; they looked alike physically for sure, but the younger girl's personality was completely the opposite. Paige was a shy person, ever since she was a kid, a bit quiet sometimes, for Nick, read her was more complicated since she was a bit more reluctant to talk about how she felt.

"I want" She said finally "But there's nothing to talk about anymore"

"Oh, so is that so?" Nick asked

"What?"

"You think that there's nothing to talk about after what happened?"

"I moved in with Liam… isn't that what she wanted?" Paige asked

"Your mom didn't want you to move out"

"She never did anything to prove me that she wanted me in the house" Paige mumbled

"You're still mad at her" Nick stated. Paige looked down

"She treats me like shit"

"Don't need to swear darling"

"But it is true" Paige said frustrated "She's always telling me what I do wrong; she never accepts anything I do. I am the best student of my class, I am the best swimmer of the swim team, I even went to that stupid summer camp for years to make her happy and still it's never enough for her"

"Your mother just wants you to be successful Paige, she wants you to be better and probably that's why she sometimes forgets that you are still a teenager"

"Well shew won't have to worry about me anymore" Paige said angry.

"Your mother and I are never going to stop worrying about you" Nick told her in a soft voice "No matter how old you get, you're always going to be my little girl and we'll always worry about you"

"You don't need to defend her, or talk for her dad" Paige mumbled as she looked into his father's eyes "She had proved me over eighteen years that she doesn't care enough about me so I'm done trying to please her"

"Your mother loves you Paige" Nick said softly "And sooner or later she will realize that"

They both reminded silent for a while after that sentence died in Nick's lips. Paige wanted to cry, but at the same time wanted to just spend time with her dad without talking about Claire.

Fortunately Nick seemed to understand this, so as soon as the waiter came back with their orders, they finally could spend a nice meal just talking about random stuff, laughing at their silly jokes and just enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Emily was sat on an armchair at one corner of the brew as she chewed on a cookie while her coffee cup rested on the table before her. She was alone; not that she cared; she wanted to be by herself for a while and be able to think.

She had lots of things to talk about lately and she needed to stop and just relax and take her time. Hanna had insisted her to go out that night but Emily declined the offer telling her that she was tired.

A random book she had picked from the library lied next to her coffee cup untouched. She had the intention to read but for the moment was content with just watching the world pass through the window.

There was no much movement at the brew that evening; there were only a few people occupying just three or four tables, and the employees seemed to be bored as they chatted quietly behind the counter.

She felt relaxed and peaceful, taking the rest of the day for herself had been definitely a great decision and she smiled softly as she thought how happy she felt just by being sat alone in a bar.

Someone cleared their throat next to her which caused Emily to look to her left startled to see who was interrupting her thoughts.

A familiar face came into view and she let out a big smile; she had been so engrossed with her thoughts that hadn't noticed the door opening and Liam McCullers stepping inside of the place.

"Liam" She said offering a smile. The boy's cheeks turned a slight red color as he returned the smile

"Hi Emily" He said "I hope you don't mind… I came to say hi"

Emily let out a laugh "Of course I don't mind silly, I'm glad to see you"

He nodded politely and kept smiling as if he didn't know what to say next. Emily took a moment to observe him, he was dressed up, like he was headed somewhere. His dark blue jeans matched with a white ironed shirt that was buttoned to the top and over it he was wearing a black blazer. And he was wearing two cups of coffee.

"Can I sit?" He asked finally biting his lip in nervousness

"Of course" Emily said as she readjusted her position on the armchair. He sat in front of her and smiled softly "Were you headed somewhere?" She asked

"Too obvious?" He asked in return. Emily breathed out a laugh and nodded

"I guess I'm used to see you wearing sweats"

"Well, the occasion required more formal clothes"

"A date?" Emily dared to ask raising an eyebrow.

Liam blushed and looked down; a gesture that reminded Emily about Paige. "I don't think so…"

"No pretty girls in your list then?" Emily joked

"I wouldn't consider Caleb a pretty girl" Liam joked back "Unless I was too desperate"

They both laughed "I'm actually headed to a conference for marketing and business advice and he is coming with me. We will be back here again tomorrow"

"Oh, so you're leaving Rosewood"

"Yeah… just for tonight" Liam said "I was supposed to meet Caleb here but he is late" He said

"I see… so is Paige staying alone tonight?" Emily asked trying to sound indifferent

"Well, I don't really like the idea but she is old enough. Plus I think she could use a free day from me and Caleb… we can be a bit overwhelming at times" He looked down as he fidgeted with the coffee cups

"I bet. But you're doing a pretty good job, no wonder why she adores you so much" Emily said

"Cassie is the one worth of her adoration, she gives her the great advice, I'm just taking care of her"

"Paige always liked you better! I remember how she followed you when you were kids, she always wanted to play with you"

"Yeah" Liam said "I remember, because I was the one doing crazy stuff"

"You two used to drive Cassie nuts" Emily remembered as she laughed

"Yes, she never had any kind of power over Paige; my baby sister always won the battle against Cassie. You in the other hand were different"

"What do you mean different?" Emily asked.

"Well, Paige was like your shadow. She always was like enchanted when she was around you; Cassie could ask her to do something a million times but if you asked only one time she would do it without even thinking about it" Liam said

"I guess that's because I always understood your sister better than Cassie" Emily said quickly as she grabbed her cup from the table and took a sip of coffee.

"Probably, or maybe she had a crush on you" Liam said

His words were intended to be a joke. But Emily chocked on the hot liquid and put the cup aside as she coughed roughly.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked as she watched the woman struggle to stop coughing

"Yeah… fine" She said.

"Here" Liam grabbed a napkin from his side of the table and handed it over to Emily who quickly extended her hand to take it. The action caused their hands to brush lightly for a second and Liam's heart started beating so fast that he felt as if he was about to have a heart attack.

Emily's skin was so soft and so warm… and let's just not talk about how beautiful she looked today. She had her hair tied up in a messy bun and was wearing nothing more than a pair of light jeans and a sweater, and even if her appearance was a little disheveled she still was breathtakingly beautiful…

'I wish I could see her like this every day' He thought. Liam had always felt something really strong for Emily, and not just because she was hot and beautiful, but because she was such an intelligent and talented human being, she never treated him like a child when they were younger and never saw him as just the middle brother.

Liam wanted to know if he would have a chance with the woman if she wasn't gay… that was always a question he had, the girls on Rosewood had no idea how lucky they were to have a chance on Emily Fields.

"Thanks Liam" Emily said offering a polite smile

He was out of words. His skin still tingled from Emily's involuntarily touch and his heart bit was still uncontrolled.

"I should get going" He said finally swallowing his thoughts and nerves

"Okay" Emily said "It was really nice to talk"

"Yeah" He said standing up "I'll see you around Em"

The woman smiled brightly and waved her hand at him. Liam turned around and walked to the door, waiting to be outside to release a breath he had been holding.

He was so screwed up. He knew it since the day he landed his eyes on Emily and understood that he loved her, and he knew it even more the day Emily came out of the closet and announced that she had a girlfriend. And ten years had passed since that and that same feeling of warmth and love was still settled on his chest when he looked at her.

"I'm so stupid" He whispered to the cold air of the evening.

Emily felt back into the peaceful state she had been before once Liam was gone. She liked to see him from time to time; it was nice to talk to the boy. After all he was a big part of her past and he turned out to be a great friend.

Suddenly, as she sipped her coffee once again, her phone buzzed inside of the pocket of her jeans.

-Please, tell me that you're free- the text said. Emily read it and smiled at it

-Missing me already?- She texted back, it was amazing how a text from the person she loved the most could change her mood. Paige didn't take long to reply

-Don't be so smug! It's been a long evening- Paige texted. Emily understood; she hadn't seen Paige since she went with her dad, and Emily assumed that they would've talked about a few serious things so Paige must be exhausted.

-Poor thing. I could always change that ;)-

Paige's text was quick –Are you suggesting something? What do you have in mind?-

Emily let out a devilish smile, Paige had an effect on her, a powerful effect that made her feel alive and adventurous and thinking about spending time together made Emily feel happy and wild.

-Well Ms. McCullers, I had you in my mind, you naked in my bed screaming my name over and over as I fuck you senseless-

Emily had never been so bold in her entire life, or at least not in a sexual way, but she loved this so much. She felt comfortable; and thinking about Paige's blushed cheeks and shy reaction as she read her text made Emily smile proudly, she literally could picture her in her mind trying to keep it together.

-I'll be there in 10- Was the last reply she received.

Emily finished her drink, payed the check and then went back to her apartment quickly and changed into comfortable clothes and tidied it up a bit.

* * *

And exactly ten minutes later the intercom rang a few times. Paige literally ran upstairs as fast as she could and stood by the door completely out of breath. When Emily opened it the girl just wrapped her arms tightly around Emily's body pressing their bodies together.

It was an unexpected reaction but Emily didn't really mind, she just held the girl closer to her body and pressed her lips against the side of her head.

"I bet you're happy to see me" She joked.

"I missed you" Paige mumbled against Emily's neck.

Her voice sounded sad, and a bit upset. So quickly Emily separated their bodies only to grab her hand and pull her to the living room so they could talk.

"Are you okay Paige?" Emily asked.

She moved closer to the girl's body, placing her hands carefully on her hips and looking at her in the eyes

"I am" Paige said in a whisper. Emily examined her face trying to read her "Really" Paige reassured

"Do you want to talk?" The woman asked knowing that what Paige needed in that moment was someone to truly listen to her.

Paige took a step closer and wrapped her arms around Emily's neck pushing their bodies together and clashing their mouths in a passionate kiss.

Emily could feel the hunger in that kiss, Paige's lips moved fast and suddenly their tongues collided as the younger girl pushed her against the nearest wall. Her hands then started to wander down Emily's body as she kept kissing her, first on her jawline and then nipping at her neck.

Emily felt wetness pooling between her legs, she knew Paige needed to talk, but right now they both needed something else.

"I want you" Paige whispered

Emily smiled against her mouth and started to pull her shirt over her shoulders. Paige quickly took the garment off her body and then encouraged Emily to do the same before they both started walking towards the bedroom without breaking the kisses.

When they reached their destination Emily's calves hit the bed and she sat on the mattress, her breathing was labored, as the heat in her body increased. She quickly moved her hands and started unbuttoning Paige's jeans quickly.

The brunette said nothing; she allowed Emily to undo the button and pull the zipper down and then tug her pants and underwear until they fell around her ankles. Then she got rid of her bra and smiled as she saw Emily taking off the rest of her clothes as well.

Emily then moved to the center of the bed and lied there with her legs spread and waiting patiently "Aren't you coming?" She asked when she saw Paige still standing there.

"You're so beautiful" Paige mumbled as she started to crawl towards her.

She was used to Emily taking the control first, in the end she was the bolder one; but not tonight. She moved quickly until she was straddling Emily's stomach, her wetness pooling the woman's soft flesh.

They looked into each other's eyes and smiled; Paige lowered herself and trapped Emily's lips between hers. The kiss was slow and sensual, the raven haired woman couldn't avoid the moan that escaped her mouth as Paige nipped her bottom lip and then she just tangled her hands on the girl's hair pulling her even closer.

Their naked bodies rubbed together creating friction and heat as they moved; it was a sensation that left them both breathless and wanting more.

Paige moved her lips along Emily's jaw line, leaving soft teasing kisses as her hands started to move down the woman's chest; she cupped both breasts, kneading them and running her thumbs over her nipples and then kissed down her neck.

Her mouth moved painfully slowly against Emily's skin, getting goosebumps on her way down, until finally her lips grazed her left nipple softly at first, the tip of her tongue came out to tease the sensitive area making Emily groan and then she just sucked on the nipple making the woman squirm.

"Paige…" Emily said in a soft murmur as she placed her hands on Paige's hair.

Paige had readjusted her body to lie comfortably on top of Emily completely so she could have a better angle of the woman's breasts; Emily wrapped her legs around Paige trying to rub their centers together.

"You're in a teasing mood" Emily said trying to maintain her voice steady but failing as a small moan came out of her mouth

Paige released her nipple and went to pay attention to the other "Don't you love it?" She asked.

Emily exhaled a soft laugh and closed her eyes once Paige started kissing down her body. Her mouth descended slowly, gracing her lips over the skin and caressing as much flesh as possible. It was as if she was showing her complete adoration with every touch and kiss; which made Emily feel so loved and wanted that she almost felt the need to cry.

Paige was her world; that was a statement Emily had accepted a while ago but that was becoming clearer by the day. That girl, the girl she had met since they were kids, her sweet Paige, she was the most important piece in her life, and every touch, every kiss and every loving world made Emily's heart melt and her knees tremble.

A year ago her body was covered in cuts and bruises and now every kiss and touch that was placed on her body seemed to be healing those marks, the marks of a toxic relationship, and the marks of a false love that destroyed Emily's life, but most important, Paige's touch was healing her soul.

"Please" She breathed out desperately; her body was so worked out that she could probably come with a few more kisses, and she didn't want it to end it that way.

"What?" Paige asked smiling against her skin. Her mouth was right now kissing Emily's thighs gently as her hands caressed her hips.

"More… I need more" Emily said; Paige's mouth suddenly moved dangerously close to her center and she fisted the sheets next to her hard trying to contain a moan.

"Magic word?" Paige joked as she ran a finger along Emily's wet folds

"Stop. Teasing. And fuck me!" Emily said loudly; Paige let out a laugh

"Your whish is my command" She said before running her tongue finally where Emily needed her to.

Emily yelled. Literally screamed in pleasure at the top of her lungs as Paige's tongue worked expertly on her center, sucking her clit and giving her the pleasure she needed.

With one hand, Emily pulled the sheets hard and with the other she pressed Paige's head closer to her core

"Paige… yes" She moaned

Her climax was starting to build inside of her, she could feel her body tightening already as Paige pleasured her.

"I'm going to come" She announced, although Paige already knew it "Please be inside me, I want you inside" She pleaded with a raspy voice.

Paige did as she was told and inserted two fingers quickly inside of her and started pounding in and out at a fast pace at the same time as her mouth ascended on Emily's body.

Their lips finally met again, Emily tried to follow the pace of the kiss but failed as she panted hard. She brought both hands to Paige's back and dug her nails on her skin as the girl moved her hand faster.

"I'm so close" She breathed against Paige's mouth

"Em, open your eyes" Paige asked as she separated her face from Emily's "Please look at me"

It was hard; because Emily was so focused on her pleasure that trying to do anything else was almost torture but she managed to open her eyes slowly and she found Paige's big dark pupils staring at her completely full of lust.

There was something really intimate and deep about that action. Paige couldn't love more Emily's face right now. She could see her pleasure, her love and her desperation for release, and she looked just breathtaking; she had her mouth open in abandon as she tried to breath, and her forehead was covered by a thin layer of sweat.

"I love you" Paige said sweetly as she kept staring into Emily's eyes.

Those words literally resounded in Emily's core making her feel so overwhelmed that in that exact moment she came hard. Really hard around Paige's fingers, and screamed her pleasure out. Paige kept moving her fingers in and out of her as she waited for Emily to relax and then stopped the movements but let her hand in the same place.

Emily had her arms and legs around Paige' s body, and once the brunette pulled out of her she just held her closer to her body as she breathed in her scent.

"Wow…" She mumbled against Paige's shoulder "That was amazing"

"You don't know how badly I wanted to do this" Paige said smiling

"I bet"

"What can I say; our little slip in the locker room left me wanting more"

"We should never talk about it" Emily commented "that was really wrong"

"It was actually sexy" Paige joked before moving to lie next to Emily

"Doing it in a public space where literally anyone can see us is a really stupid thing to do"

"Yeah, but you didn't stop" Paige said

"Because you're fucking irresistible"

"I know" Paige laughed hard. Emily joined her laughter and then looked at her

"I can't move right now but once I recover my breath I am going to continue what I started in the locker room" She said

"That would be amazing" Paige whispered kissing her cheek

"Sex with you is amazing" Emily told her sincerely

"I do my best" Paige said "Is the best I can do for my friend" She said ironically.

Emily frowned in confusion and eyed her carefully, and then she realized something. She knew it; she knew that something was wrong that morning when Paige left her place.

"Wait" She said "Is this because of this morning?" She asked. Paige looked down and then looked back at her

"It was just a joke"

"Paige, you know as well as I do that no one can find out about us"

"I know Emily, and I am okay with it, I swear"

"I think you're not" Emily said with a sweet tone

"Em…"

"Please, I know that it is maybe hard for you but I want you to be honest with me" Emily said. Paige took a deep breath and nodded

"I am not your friend" She whispered sadly "And hearing you say that word so quickly hurt"

"I know baby but… I panicked. I was in shock for seeing Hanna in my house when she was supposed to be in California and then when you appeared on the picture I freaked out"

"I know. And it's not your fault, I don't blame you Em, but I… it still hurts" Paige confessed, she had considering Aria's words from that same morning and her friend was right, there was no point in hiding things.

"Paige, you're not regretting what we have right?" Emily asked with a bit of concern but trying to sound neutral. Paige looked down and her lip quivered softly as she held back tears.

The older woman brought her hand slowly to Paige's chin lifting it up to make eye contact and they reminded silent for a moment.

"No" Paige said finally. The answer was a relieve for both of them "I love you Em, but it's just that having to keep this a secret is a bit hard"

"Yeah, but we knew this from the beginning, and besides we are close to be able to come out to the rest of the world as a real couple" Emily said.

"I would love that" Paige breathed out as she smiled "I love you"

Emily smiled back at her and moved her body so she could hug the girl tightly and kiss her gently.

"I love you too" Emily whispered as she pushed Paige onto her back and slowly crawled on top of her pining both of her arms above her head "And I want to spend every second I have proving that to you"

She kissed Paige's lips and moved to place kisses all over her neck and collarbone "Would you like that? Friend" Emily said jokingly nipping the girl's earlobe as her hands moved to her breasts.

Paige let out a laugh followed by a soft moan and nodded "I'd love that very much" She whispered as she felt Emily's hand between her legs.

* * *

 **Have a wonderful day/night :)**


End file.
